Nottingham Forest are set to spend Christmas without Steve Cooper with the Premier League outfit courting former Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur boss Nuno Espirito Santo.
Cooper has been in post at the City Ground since 2021 and took Forest into the Premier League for the first time this century.
But results have been poor of late. Having beaten Aston Villa 2-0 on 5 November, Cooper’s side – who are competing in their second season in the Premier League after a 25-year absence – have since lost by a goal to West Ham United, Brighton & Hove Albion and Everton, conceded five against Fulham, drew with Wolves and lost to Tottenham.
Forest in for a new star on Christmas tree?
It leaves Nottingham Forest 17th in the Premier League, albeit they are five points clear of the drop.
Cooper has long had the support of Forest fans having guided them to the English top flight for the first time since 1999 but confidence has been drifting.
If he was handed marching orders by the club and owner Evangelos Marinakis, he’d be just the second manager to be sacked from the English Premier League this season following on from Paul Heckingbottom at Sheffield United.
Espirito Santo arrived in the Premier League from Porto in 2017 but lost the support of both Wolves and then Tottenham Hotspur having made a positive impact during his early years in the Midlands.
Following his sacking from Spurs, the 49-year-old from Portugal took up a post with Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League – home to the likes of Karim Benzema, Fabinho and N’Golo Kante – but was sacked last month. The Saudi Arabian club are currently fifth.
Nottingham Forest face Bournemouth at home on Saturday before heading to Newcastle on Boxing Day and hosting Manchester United on 30 December.
