This is Nottingham Forest’s biggest season for decades. And because this is Nottingham Forest, it is already in peril.
What started as a report from a journalist based in Italy, Matteo Moretto, on Friday morning turned into a storm by the afternoon.
“Where there’s smoke, there’s fire,” said Nuno Espirito Santo, who rather than dismiss the rumours that he could be sacked, chose to fan the flames when admitting his relationship with club owner Evangelos Marinakis has become strained.
“I always had a very good relationship with the owner, last season we were very close and spoke on a daily basis,” Nuno added.
“This season it is not so well but I always believe that dialogue is important because my concern is the squad and the season we have ahead of us. Our relationship has changed and we are not as close.
“No, it is not good. I think everybody at the club should be together but this not the reality.”
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) August 22, 2025
"It's not so close"
Nuno Espírito Santo says his relationship with Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has changed. pic.twitter.com/CwAxmSfnsh
It was a bombshell admission just one game into a season where Forest are preparing to play in Europe for the first time since 1995-96.
And when pressed further, Nuno doubled down ahead of Sunday’s trip to Crystal Palace, saying trust has been lost.
“The reality is that the relationship is not what it used to be,” he added. “It was a respectful relationship based on trust and sharing opinions but now it is not so good.”
When asked if this relationship can continue, Nuno said: “I hope so but I don’t know, that I cannot answer. On my side I am doing whatever I can to help Forest, my commitment is something [that I see] and I feel it.”
He cannot answer this though because he is not Marinakis, a passionate Greek who does things his own way and is already viewed as a maverick by Premier League owners’ standards, whether it is for banning Gary Neville from the City Ground, confronting Nuno on the pitch or blocking Tottenham’s approach for Morgan Gibbs-White and then making the contract extension more about him than the player.
And now, another confrontation is in the offing, with recent history suggesting Marinakis is highly unlikely to remain quiet now his manager has gone public – an act which rarely ends well for head coaches.
And the cause? Nuno more than hinted at it: a difference in opinion over their summer transfer activity.
Forest summer arrivals
- Dan Ndoye (winger) – Bologna, £34m
- Igor Jesus (striker) – Botafogo, £10m
- Jair Cunha (centre-back) – Botafogo, undisclosed
- Angus Gunn (goalkeeper) – Norwich, free
- Omari Hutchinson (winger) – Ipswich, £37.5m
- James McAtee (midfielder) – Man City, £30m
- Arnaud Kalimuendo (striker) – Rennes, £25m
- Douglas Luiz (midfielder) – Juventus, loan with obligation to buy
“The reason behind it I do not know. What I said last week or two weeks ago was my concern and why I was worried about where we were going [as a club],” he said on Friday, referring to comments he said before the Premier League opener against Brentford.
“We are going to play a tough game against a good team and we are short on options to give solutions that the game might need, which is our major concern. We need players,” Nuno said before the win over Brentford.
“I think we need another option for the goalkeeper situation, on the defensive line full backs.”
In the week since, Forest welcomed midfielder Douglas Luiz, formerly of Aston Villa and Manchester City, on a season-long loan and signed Rennes striker Arnaud Kalimuendo for an initial £26m.
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That took Forest’s summer spending close to £140m. But despite the millions spent and the Europa League on the horizon, the manager and owner are now at odds.
This should be a time for unity, but instead it is marked by division, and with Marinakis in charge you fear it will only end one way.
This would be unfathomable were it perhaps happening elsewhere, but for a fanbase so used to setbacks this will fell somewhat typical.
Why now though will still be the cry, for this storm of their own making threatens to blow their European journey off course before it has even begun.
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