Nuno Espirito Santo has led Nottingham Forest into Europe just four years after they sat bottom of the Championship, and yet despite that his job remains under serious threat.
There are reports – several of them from Nuno himself – about a breakdown in relationships between boardroom and changing room at the club, prompting lively talk that another new manager may soon be needed to operate at Mr Marinakis’ beck and call.
And even more excitingly there’s large amounts of talk that said manager could be the newly available Jose Mourinho, which we can surely all agree will be a sight worth seeing.
Here are the 10 favourites to replace Nuno based on the latest odds…
9=) Frank Lampard
Can’t have a mid-level Premier League job potentially up for grabs without Super Frank’s name drifting in on the tabloid breeze.
9=) Julen Lopetegui
We’re not going to speak for him, but our suspicion is that Lopetegui has had his fill of the Premier League, and specifically daft clubs from the midlands.
8) Kasper Hjulmand
Out of work since leaving the Denmark job after their Euro 2024 disappointment, but widely respected within the game and rarely far from these lists.
7) Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Not the former Manchester United manager suddenly available following a brutal sacking by one of Turkey’s top clubs that people might be hoping pops up at Forest, but still: what a twist it would be. Remember that time he scored four goals against them as a substitute? Lots of potential for whimsy here.
6) Pedro Martins
Strongly linked when Steve Cooper was struggling, and is at least one manager who would walk in with eyes wide open after three years working for Mr Marinakis at Olympiacos. He won three league titles before getting the sack so, like we say, he knows how this works. Currently to be found coaching your Mason Holgates and and Joselus in Qatar at Al-Gharafa.
5) Oliver Glasner
Can you imagine the sheer scale of Crystal Palace’s white-hot fury if this happened? It won’t happen.
4) Sean Dyche
Can’t see this one at all, unless Nuno hangs on long enough and does badly enough to plunge Forest into actual relegation trouble. Given how close he appears to being out on his ear while doing perfectly well, almost impossible to see how there’s a timeline for this that works.
3) Brendan Rodgers
Has been lured south from Glasgow to the east midlands by the Premier League’s siren call before, and with less than a year now left on his Celtic contract this isn’t one that could be ruled out at all.
1=) Ange Postecoglou
The early favourite when the rumbles of discontent began, and we can surely all agree the Premier League is a more fun place with Postecoglou’s chaotic football in it, and we know he can deliver Europa League success…
1=) Jose Mourinho
We’re so torn. Postecoglou makes the Premier League more fun, sure. But it’s Jose Mourinho. At Nottingham Forest. With an unpredictable owner. It could only be glorious, one way or – far more likely – the other.
