Ange Postecoglou will be confirmed as the new manager of Nottingham Forest with Evangelos Marinakis turning to the former Tottenham manager following the sacking of Nuno Espirito Santo.
Following the sacking of Nuno in the early hours of Tuesday, Marinakis wants his successor in place before Saturday’s trip to Arsenal.
Yet Mail Sport can reveal the pair met in July, when Postecoglou – who is of Greek heritage – was presented with an award by the Greek Super League, to recognise his achievements with Spurs.
‘What I want to say about Ange is that he has spoken about Greece many times, he is proud to be Greek, and in the great success he had with Tottenham by winning the Europa League, he spoke about Greece,’ said Marinakis at the ceremony.
“[He is] a man who not only does not hide his origin but is also proud of it. What he achieved, he did with a team that has not won any titles, it has had a very difficult time in recent years. In this huge success that the whole world saw, he promoted Greece.
‘We must thank him especially for this, and we wish him well, although we are sure that he will do well as he has the ability. Wherever he goes, the successes will come.’
Ange Postecoglou is set to be confirmed as the new manager of Nottingham Forest
Postecoglou is set to succeed Nuno Espirito Santo, who was sacked on Tuesday morning
Nuno had admitted his relationship with owner Evangelos Marinakis had deteriorated
Despite leading them to a first trophy since 2008, Postecoglou was dismissed by Spurs after last season, with the club’s 17th place finish in the Premier League deemed unacceptable. The 60-year-old’s preference had always been to remain in England after his departure from north London.
On receiving his award, Postecoglou said: ‘I left Greece when I was five years old, but when we left, my parents, my father, passed on the love he had for football to me.
‘I had this dream since I was little, as a player I did not succeed, but as a coach I tried to make my father proud for the sacrifices he made for me and my sister and every day I think about the sacrifices he made.
“My father is not with me today, but he sees me and is proud of what I have built, I have my wife by my side, and we continue. I want to make you proud, Greece and Australia. It is a great honour to be here.’
Postecoglou will succeed Nuno, who was sacked despite leading Forest into Europe for the first time this century.
Nuno’s relationship with the club hierachy, however, had become increasingly strained this summer.
Nuno criticised Forest’s transfer policy publicly and admitted his rapport with owner Evangelos Marinakis was not the same as it had been last term. Nuno, who joined Forest in December 2023, also struggled to work under the new structure with former Arsenal midfielder Edu installed as global head of football. Marinakis only days ago dismissed reports of a rift between him and his manager.
In a statement released at 12:15am on Tuesday morning, Forest said: ‘Nottingham Forest Football Club confirms that, following recent circumstances, Nuno Espírito Santo has today been relieved of his duties as head coach.
‘The club thanks Nuno for his contribution during a very successful era at The City Ground, in particular his role in the 2024/25 season, which will forever be remembered fondly in the history of the club.
‘As someone who played a pivotal role in our success last season, he will always hold a special place in our journey.’
