Nuno Espirito Santo emerges as a target for clubs in Spain and Portugal this summer after leading Nottingham Forest to survival

Clubs in Portugal and Spain are interested in Nuno Espirito Santo and are considering their options if Nottingham Forest let him go.

Nuno led Forest to survival despite the club losing four points for violating spending regulations while he was in charge, ultimately finishing six points ahead of Luton in 18th place.

Nuno signed a contract last December to replace Steve Cooper, and he has one year left on it, with the option to sign on for an additional season. Nuno’s work is reportedly pleasing Forest, and at this point, they see no need to make any changes before the 2024–2025 season.

Nuno’s reputation, however, is still quite high in his native country—where he has coached Rio Ave and Porto—as well as in Spain, where he guided Valencia to Champions League qualification in 2014. Within the football circles of those nations, there is also a perception that Nuno might be lured back for the appropriate position.
Nuno moved to Forest in the middle of the recently ended season after spending time in the Saudi Pro League with Al-Ittihad and Tottenham after joining Wolves in 2017.

Nuno would certainly come up in any conversation about changes that either of Portugal’s “big three” clubs might need to make this summer.
Italian clubs look up to Porto’s Sergio Conceicao, and Ruben Amorim, the manager of Sporting Lisbon, is one of the best young coaches on the continent.

In the Portuguese championship race, Roger Schmidt’s Benfica finished 10 points behind Sporting.
Nuno is the highest-paid manager in Forest’s history, and despite his survival successes, his bond with the fans has not yet reached the heights it reached at Wolves, where he was adored by the supporters.

Nuno guided Wolves to two seventh-place finishes in the Premier League, an FA Cup semifinal, and a Europa League quarterfinal after leading the team to promotion in his first season there.

Although Forest was sure that when they hired him, he would soon move them up the table in the upcoming seasons, he has never been able to reach those heights in English football.