Latest Nottingham Forest news as Nuno Espirito Santo’s Reds finish Premier League season with a showdown against Burnley.
Head coach Nuno Espirito Santo believes it is beneficial for Nottingham Forest to have an ambitious owner, even if Evangelos Marinakis’ plans take time to come true.
Marinakis seldom grants media interviews, but he has talked twice in the last week on his plans for the Reds. And his statements left no doubt about his desire for the team to succeed.
The Greek promised “great things” for Forest in the next years and shared his “big dreams” for the club. It comes as a third consecutive season in the Premier League is practically assured, but Nuno insists building on that foundation will not happen overnight.
“We all know the ambition of the ownership, to make Forest a greater club and a bigger club,” stated the Portuguese speaker. “However, we must understand that it is a gradual process. It takes time. But it is beneficial to have ambition and a drive to improve.
The Reds travel to Burnley for their final game of the season this afternoon. It would take a spectacular set of circumstances for them not to be in the top tier next season. They are three points ahead of 18th-placed Luton Town, with a substantially stronger goal difference.
Nuno, on the other hand, has been careful not to become complacent in the buildup to the match. And he has been unwilling to contemplate the idea of thinking beyond the Turf Moor encounter. Questions on the season as a whole and where the Reds go from here were graciously declined during the Portuguese’s final press conference of the season on Friday.
When asked if he wanted to be a part of Marinakis’ huge vision, he was vague. He just stated, “I’m here now.”
It was a cryptic response, but one that should not be overinterpreted. Nuno was not in the mood for lengthy debates on many topics. Instead, he made it abundantly clear that his attention has been entirely concentrated on getting the job done.
When asked how significant securing survival would be, he replied: “We still have to do the job. After we finish the job, we can discuss all of these topics. But give credit to the players because it was not an easy season. It was quite difficult. They were always dedicated to improving and winning contests. We will communicate once we have achieved our goals.”
