Nottingham Forest relies on Espirito Santo

Changes in the running for the Nottingham Reds

Nottingham Forest has decided to remove Steve Cooper from the coaching position. It was the club itself that confirmed this on Tuesday through a long post on its official website: Cooper is mainly paying for the poor performance of the last few days, since with five defeats and a draw in the last six the team has collapsed to fourth-last place, close to the relegation zone. The note does not specify details about the new coach, but according to reports from 'Sky Sports Uk' it will be Portuguese Nuno Espirito Santo who will take his place.

"All of us at Nottingham Forest would like to thank Steve for his extraordinary contribution to our soccer team,” said Nottingham Reds owner Evangelos Marinakis. “His success in bringing Forest back to the Premier League will undoubtedly remain an iconic moment in the club".

"We thank Steve for his dedication and commitment during his time with us,” added the Greek businessman, owner not only of Nottingham Forest but also, at home, of Olympiacos, “as well as for the incredible bond he forged with our supporters and the city of Nottingham. Steve will always remain a friend of the Club and will always be welcome at the City Ground. We wish him well in his future endeavors".

Barring any last-minute second thoughts, then, it will be Nuno Espirito Santo who will take Cooper’s place: the Portuguese born in the former colony of Sao Tomé and Principe, class of 1974, comes in turn from a waiver, at Al Ittihad (the Saudi Professional League club that fields, among others, Karim Benzema). In the Premier League he has already coached Wolverhampton and Tottenham.