According to reports, recent public arguments between Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis and manager Nuno Espírito Santo on the pitch have been one of the biggest controversies in football. After Forest’s 2-2 home draw against Leicester, the Greek owner entered the pitch and engaged in a heated exchange with the manager.

Dropping two points against Leicester has reduced Nottingham Forest’s chances of qualifying for the Champions League, which could result in significant financial losses for the owner.

In recent days, both Marinakis and Nottingham Forest denied tensions between the owner and manager, claiming that Marinakis was upset about a Forest player being fielded while injured and was discussing this with Nuno.

However, the Portuguese newspaper A Bola today claimed, citing sources, that contrary to these denials, tensions between the owner and manager are high, and Nuno Espírito Santo will be sacked at the end of the season.

This comes despite Nuno having a contract with Forest until summer 2026. English newspapers have also confirmed A Bola’s report, even suggesting that Nottingham Forest’s owner has already chosen a replacement for Nuno.

According to these reports, Marinakis intends to appoint Ernesto Valverde as Forest’s new manager. He has worked with Valverde twice before and knows him well. They collaborated at Olympiacos twice. Valverde has achieved great success with Athletic Bilbao, and it remains to be seen whether the Spanish club will allow Ernesto to move to England.