Despite keeping the club in the Premier League, the current Forest manager may leave the City Ground.
Nottingham Forest have a busy summer if they are to improve on their 17th-place result in the Premier League during the 2023/24 season.
During the season, the Reds’ manager, Nuno Espírito Santo, replaced fan-favorite Steve Cooper after a six-match losing streak and one draw.
Despite suffering a four-point deduction for exceeding the league’s PSR limitations, the Portuguese manager was able to secure the club’s second season in the top division on the penultimate day.
As a result of the prior points deduction, the club will need to be strategic this summer in order to enhance their playing roster while also avoiding any further PSR breaches that could jeopardize their future Premier League status.
However, despite keeping the Reds in England’s top division, which was expected of him when he arrived at the City Ground, Nuno might be replaced before the start of the 2024/25 season by a manager that owner Evangelos Marinakis is extremely familiar with.
Forest are interested in Premier League boss.
According to the Daily Mail, Nottingham Forest are looking to sign Fulham manager Marco Silva if they decide to break ways with Nuno during the offseason.
Silva, who, like Nuno, is Portuguese, has done a fantastic job at Craven Cottage in recent seasons, steering the team away from relegation and developing the Londoners into a solid Premier League side with little investment from the owner.
The Fulham manager previously worked with current Reds owner Marinakis, taking charge of Greek club Olympiacos for the 2015/16 season before quitting for personal reasons, with a 79% victory rate in 48 games.
The 46-year-old has been in charge of the Cottagers for nearly three years, guiding them back to the Premier League and maintaining them there for two consecutive seasons, restoring the club to a reliable top-flight squad.
However, the article goes on to say that he has a £9 million release clause in his present contract, with any side allowed to negotiate with Silva if the deal is triggered inside his current contract.
It would be a fantastic coup for Forest if the move goes through, with one player in particular likely to benefit from Silva’s prospective arrival in the East Midlands.
Why would Silva be an upgrade over Nuno?
There’s no disputing Silva would be a better option than Nuno for the 2023/24 season, with the Fulham manager outperforming the former Wolves manager.
Over the last 12 months, the former Olympiacos manager has averaged 1.24 points per game in the Premier League, 0.19 more than Nuno, although managing 17 fewer games.
Silva led his team to more than twice as many victories as Nuno, accumulating 25 fewer and finished 15 points behind the Cottagers at the end of the season.
Although he would be an improvement over the existing managing situation at the City Ground, the current manager would allow Chris Wood to progress to the next level on Trentside.
The New Zealand international scored 14 Premier League goals this season, his joint-highest total, an impressive turnaround for a player who was obviously written off at the start of the season.
However, the “unbelievable” Silva, as described by outgoing Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, was able to transform striker Aleksandar Mitrovic into a force to be reckoned with during his time at Craven Cottage, with the Serbian hitting 57 goals in just 68 appearances under the Portuguese boss in London.
He’s definitely capable of getting the most out of his centre forwards, as his team scored 55 goals in the 2023/24 season, six more than the Reds.
While Nuno has done an outstanding job keeping Forest in the Premier League, and is completely deserving of another season to implement his system, there is no disputing Silva would be an upgrade on the current Reds manager, with Marinakis facing a major decision in the coming weeks.
