Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers is now the second favourite to replace Nuno Espirito Santo as the next Nottingham Forest boss as speculation increases over the Portuguese’s future.
Reports in England have claimed that Nuno, who guided Forest to the Europa League last season, has suffered a deteriorating relationship with Forest’s flamboyant owner Evangelos Marinakis.
The Portuguese coach – who signed a new contract in June after guiding Forest to European football for the first time since 1995 – poured fuel on speculation his position was under threat during Friday’s press conference ahead of their 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace.
He admitted that his relationship with Marinakis had frayed, due in part to the arrival of global head of football Edu Gaspar. But on Sunday, after Callum Hudson-Odoi cancelled out Ismaila Sarr’s opener to salvage a point for Forest in their Selhurst Park stalemate, Nuno insisted there was nothing to the speculation over his employment, though agreed a conversation between the three men is “more important than anything”.
“Absolute nonsense. Absurd. This narrative, it’s absurd,” retorted Nuno, when asked about the reports. Yet when pressed as to whether he was confident he would still be Forest’s manager when the transfer window shuts on September 1, he replied: “I cannot answer that question, but what I know is that I am working and trying to do my job the best I can.
“Of course, the situation has to be solved and we are responsible people. We can have a good conversation to create a good platform for what is more important, the team. We’re going to have it. We must. We need to have this conversation and we will have it. This is what I think is more important than anything.”
Regardless of what Nuno has said, it has not stopped some of the bookmakers chalking up markets on who could be the next man in the Forest hotseat - with Rodgers featuring prominently in the market due to his success at Celtic but also the Parkhead club’s failure to so far back him in the transfer market.
We take a look at the odds, which are courtesy of BetVictor - please gamble responsibly, 18+
