BREAKING NEWS:NOTTINGHAM FOREST HAS FINALLY SIGN A NEW MANAGER

Nottingham Forest to announce Nuno Espirito Santo as new manager after ‘first choice’ rejects offer

According to Football Insider, Julen Lopetegui has turned down the opportunity to return to Premier League management at Nottingham Forest, and the club is set to name Nuno Espirito Santo as their new manager.

Forest confirmed Steve Cooper’s dismissal on Tuesday, two weeks after Football Insider revealed the groundwork was being laid for his dismissal, following a dreadful run of only one win in their previous 13 games.

Nuno arrived on the same day to finalize terms with Forest on a two-and-a-half-year contract. On Saturday, he will take charge of his first game as manager, against Bournemouth at the City Ground.

However, sources say that the Portuguese were not the “first choice” of the Forest hierarchy, led by owner Evangelo Marinakis, to replace Cooper.

They discussed a deal with another ex-Wolves manager, Julen Lopetegui, but he expressed reservations about working for the volatile Marinakis and not having enough control over transfers and recruitment.

Nuno, who, like Lopetegui, is a client of Portuguese super agent Jorge Mendes, will take over at the City Ground in place of the much-loved Cooper.

Nuno is regarded by Forest as a proven Premier League manager, and Marinakis admires him for his hugely successful spell at Wolves, which he promoted from the Championship and led to consecutive seventh-place finishes in the Premier League.

Despite winning the league title last season, the former Wolves manager has been out of work since being fired by Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad last month.

His previous Premier League job was a 17-game stint at Tottenham, which ended in November 2021 with his dismissal.

Cooper guided Forest to safety last season after Marinakis funded a massive spending spree on new players in the aftermath of their remarkable promotion to the Premier League.

Despite finishing bottom of the table in October 2022, when the Welshman was given a new contract at the club, they finished 16th.

However, Marinakis is looking for a return on his investment this season, and Football Insider revealed on November 30th that he has set a target of finishing in the top ten of the Premier League.

In other news, Nottingham Forest has confirmed that their £25 million bid will be accepted.