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Nuno Espirito Santo was relieved of his duties at Nottingham Forest on Tuesday, after a breakdown in his relationship with the higher-ups at the City Ground. From a sporting perspective, Forest's change in managers is a risky one, with Ange Postecoglou set to arrive as his replacement just months on from his sacking by Tottenham.
Nuno guided Forest to European qualification last season, and remarkably, at one point in the campaign, the Premier League club looked like it might be Liverpool's closest challenger in the title race.
Ahead of Liverpool's trip to the City Ground in January, Slot played down the surprise element of Forest's impressive form due to the amount of money the club had spent in the transfer market.
“If you look at the money they spent, it’s not a complete surprise," Slot said.
Nuno responded, though, saying that he didn't concern himself with the financial side of building a squad. “I don’t know the spending, I don’t know the value. That doesn’t happen,” he said.
“I look at the player as a human being and how I can make them better. How can I make you better? Money doesn’t play football, people do. It’s not my issue, we are not concerned about the price tag of things.”
Forest was one of few teams that Liverpool failed to get the better of in the Premier League last season, as Nuno's side inflicted a 1-0 defeat on the Reds at Anfield early on in the season before the 1-1 draw in January.
Forest's season eventually ended in relative disappointment, as the team finished in seventh place, missing out on Champions League qualification, which had appeared to be virtually guaranteed in the middle of the campaign.
Tension appeared to arise after a game toward the end of the season, when Nuno and club owner Evangelos Marinakis were involved in an on-field dispute, and things didn't get much better over the summer, with Nuno frustrated with the club's transfer activity.
His departure was confirmed at 12:15am BST with a short statement on social media. The statement 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."
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