Sheffield United's Premier League rivals unveil former Tottenham Hotspur and Wolves boss as new head coach

Forest have moved quickly to replace Steve Cooper, who was axed yesterday (December 19). The club have handed their new head coach a two-and-a-half-year contract and he will lead the club into their clash with AFC Bournemouth this weekend.

Espirito Santo spent four years in charge of Wolverhampton Wanderers, guiding the club to the Premier League and consolidating their position in the top flight. He was plucked from Molineux by Tottenham Hotspur in 2021 but his reign was short-lived.

After a stint in charge of Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia, the Portugal native has returned to England’s top flight. A statement issued by Forest read: “Nottingham Forest can today confirm the appointment of Nuno Espírito Santo as first team head coach.

“Nuno joins the club on a two-and-a-half-year contract and will take charge of his first match on Saturday when Forest face Bournemouth at The City Ground. The 49-year-old arrives with a wealth of experience having managed over 460 games in his career, including in the Premier League, La Liga, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.

“Nuno began his managerial career at Rio Ave, guiding the Portuguese side to two cup finals and qualification to the Europa League for the first time in their history before taking charge of Valencia in 2014.

“He steered the Spanish outfit to Champions League football with a fourth-placed finish in La Liga in 2014/15, before spending a year in charge of Porto where he won 27 of his 49 games at the helm.

“A move to England came in 2017 as Nuno took charge of Wolverhampton Wanderers. In his four seasons at Molineux, he led Wolves into the Premier League after winning the Sky Bet Championship title, before achieving successive seventh-placed finishes in their first two seasons back in the top flight.

“Nuno also led Wolves into Europe, guiding them to the quarter-finals of the Europa League in 2019/20, with his departure in 2021 bringing an end to an impressive tenure in the West Midlands.

“After a spell in charge of Tottenham Hotspur during the 2021/22 campaign, Nuno now arrives at The City Ground having most recently managed in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ittihad, where he led the club to league and domestic cup honours last season.

“The new head coach will take charge of his first training session with the squad this morning as they prepare for Saturday’s Premier League fixture when the Reds host Bournemouth at The City Ground (15:00 kick-off).”