Yahoo News Nuno 'has not had it easy' as Nottingham Forest wrestle with fresh uncertainty
Not even 24 hours had passed from the full-time whistle at Burnley before talk about Nuno Espirito Santo’s Nottingham Forest future emerged.
The dust had barely settled on the season. The Portuguese would hardly have had time to down the beers he had promised himself to mark the Reds getting over the line.
Supporters had sung Nuno’s name at Turf Moor as survival was mathematically secured. He had been shoved by Morgan Gibbs-White and Anthony Elanga in front of the away end to take some of the acclaim.
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However, come Monday morning transfer guru Fabrizio Romano posted on social media that “there's a chance” Nuno could depart the City Ground. Since then, German newspaper Bild (via Sport Witness) have linked the 50-year-old with the vacant managerial job at Bayern Munich while rumours of Forest looking at ex-Brighton and Hove Albion boss Roberto De Zerbi have swirled.
It comes after Nuno had dropped a cryptic comment about his future last Friday. Asked whether he hoped to be part of Evangelos Marinakis’ grand vision for the club, he simply said: “I’m here now.”
As with some of his predecessors, Nuno can expect to meet with Marinakis to pick over the season just gone and discuss what comes next. The owner will want to push on next term - after all, that was supposed to be the aim this time around. The prospect of another relegation battle is unlikely to cut it.
Is Nuno the right man to move Forest forward? That is the key question facing the club, and also the man himself.
Transfer gossip is inevitable at this time of the year - Nuno said as much on Sunday. But rumours about the head coach’s position do nobody any favours.
Nuno has had to contend with several challenges since being appointed last December. He had to navigate the threat of and then the fallout from a points deduction, handle refereeing controversies and deal with a number of absences due to injuries and the Africa Cup of Nations. He has not had it easy.
The style of play is better under him and the Reds have mostly been competitive in games. There is the makings of something there; potential has been shown.
The extent of the improvement is still debatable and some fans have been asking questions of him for a few weeks. But what could he do given time and a stable platform?
Whatever happens, the matter needs resolving quickly. If progress is to be achieved, it will need to come from a solid foundation and with time for whoever is at the helm to work with the crux of the squad. This is a big summer Trentside, any sense of uncertainty dragging on will not help Forest’s cause.
