Nottingham Forest have five options to replace Nuno Espirito Santo as sack concerns emerge

Nuno Espirito Santo pulled no punches when speaking to the media ahead of Nottingham Forest's clash against Crystal Palace this weekend. It's a fixture that's expected to carry extra weight, given the shenanigans involving UEFA's demotion of Palace to the Conference League, with Forest taking their spot in the Europa League.

However, tensions were heightened even further when news broke that manager Espirito Santo could be sacked by controversial co-owner Evangelos Marinakis. The tactician admitted his relationship with Marinakis has changed, but if the plug is pulled on Espirito Santo, who might Forest replace him with? Express Sport have picked out four potential candidates.

Gareth Southgate

Remember him? Well, the man who led England to back-to-back European Championship finals is still without a job after leaving his post as Three Lions boss. Talk of Gareth Southgate taking the reins at Manchester United always felt a little far-fetched, but perhaps a job at the City Ground might be better suited to the Englishman instead?

Sean Dyche

The issue for Marinakis and co, should they opt to sack Nuno, is the market for available managers isn't exactly plentiful. That being said, Sean Dyche is a manager with (albeit limited) European experience and one who impressed when in charge of a talented Burnley side. Things didn't work out for him at Everton, but Dyche isn't the only manager who can say that in recent years.

Sergio Conceicao

Cut from a similar cloth as Espirito Santo, Sergio Conceicao certainly comes across as no-nonsense. The Portuguese boss endured a short and not-so-sweet time at AC Milan most recently, but before that, he'd established himself as one of the most promising coaches in Europe during a seven-year stint with Porto. A winner of eight major honours during his time with Porto, Conceicao is being tipped to bounce back from his dismal spell with Milan and put himself back on the managerial map.

Thiago Motta

Speaking of which, Thiago Motta finds himself in a very similar situation. The Italian caught the eye by taking Bologna to a fifth-place finish in 2024, subsequently earning the Serie A side qualification to the Champions League. Instead of sticking around at Bologna, Motta opted to move to Juventus, but didn't even see out the season with the record Italian champions.

Ange Postecoglou

And finally, a name that has already been mentioned as a potential Espirito Santo replacement, Ange Postecoglou. Should Forest push for the Australian, they'd be hiring the manager who last lifted the Europa League, with Postecoglou sacked despite his exploits with Tottenham Hotspur. Plus, given their Greek connection, Postecoglou and Marinakis already have an existing relationship, which could be something to keep an eye on as this story develops.