Tension grows between Nuno Espirito Santo and Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis

Nuno Espirito Santo’s future at Nottingham Forest has been thrown into doubt amid mounting tension with owner Evangelos Marinakis, Sport360NG reports.

Despite guiding Forest to European qualification last season and opening the new Premier League campaign with a win at Brentford, BBC Sport understands the Portuguese manager’s position is far from secure.

Concerns over the strained relationship have filtered down to the playing squad, who are said to be aware of the uncertainty. Speaking on Friday, the 51-year-old hinted at the speculation over his role, admitting: “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.”

The rift is believed to stem from disagreements around transfer dealings. Edu, appointed as global head of football earlier this summer, has taken control of recruitment, a shift that appears to have sidelined Nuno from the process.

“Last season I had a very close relationship with the owner, we spoke every day,” Nuno said. “This season, it’s not the same. Dialogue is important, but our relationship has changed, and we are not as close. That is not good. Everyone at the club should be together, but this is not the reality.”

Forest have added seven players during the window but sold Anthony Elanga to Newcastle for £55m. Before the Brentford match, Nuno expressed frustration at the lack of clarity over arrivals: “We have doubts, who is going to be here, when are they coming? These things create uncertainty. The owner knows, the club knows, everybody knows.”

Nuno, appointed in December 2023, helped Forest avoid relegation despite a points deduction before steering them to seventh in the table, their best finish in nearly 30 years. That achievement secured European football for the first time since the mid-1990s.

In June, Marinakis had described his relationship with the former Wolves and Tottenham boss as “strong and solid” when Nuno signed a new three-year deal. But Friday’s press conference suggested otherwise, with the coach admitting players had already picked up on the situation: “I feel sorry for them. They saw it in the morning and I could see it in their faces. But I will keep facing things as I always have, giving my best until the last moment.”

Marinakis has previously been seen in heated moments with the manager. In May, cameras appeared to capture a pitch-side confrontation following a 2-2 draw with Leicester, though the club later dismissed reports of a clash as “fake news.”

Forest are preparing for their first European campaign in three decades, moving from the Conference League to the Europa League after Crystal Palace were barred under UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules. Marinakis also controls Olympiakos but avoided sanctions by temporarily reducing his stake in Forest earlier this year, a move later reversed when the risk passed.

Fans, however, fear history may repeat itself. Former boss Steve Cooper faced similar speculation before eventually being dismissed last December.

For many supporters, the thought of losing Nuno just as the club embarks on a long-awaited European adventure feels destabilising. As one Forest fan writer put it: “Marinakis has the ambition, but it’s Nuno who has delivered the dream. Forest thrive when there is trust and togetherness. This could throw everything into chaos.”