Nottingham Forest have appointed Nuno Espirito Santo as their new head coach, after sacking Steve Cooper

Nottingham Forest have appointed Nuno Espirito Santo as their new head coach, following the sacking of Steve Cooper.

The former Wolves and Tottenham manager has agreed a two-and-a-half-year contract at The City Ground.

The Portuguese coach was most recently in charge of Al Ittihad in Saudi Arabia, but was sacked after a poor run of results.

Nuno’s first match in the dugout will be their home league match against Bournemouth on December 23.

Forest are currently 17th in the Premier League, five points above the relegation zone.

Cooper - who ended the club’s 23-year absence from the top flight by winning promotion in 2022 - was dismissed after losing five of his last six matches.

Despite relieving Cooper of his duties, owner Evangelos Marinakis said: "His achievement in guiding Forest back will undoubtedly remain an iconic moment in the club's history.

"We thank Steve for his dedication and commitment during his time with us, as well as the incredible connection he forged with our supporters and the city of Nottingham.

"Steve will always remain a friend of the club and will forever be welcome at the City Ground. We wish him well in his future endeavours."

As for their incoming coach, Nuno - who was a goalkeeper during his playing career - started life on the touchline at Rio Ave where he led the Portuguese side to two cup finals and qualification to the Europa League.

He then spent time at Valencia and Porto before making the move to England, where he guided Wolves to the Premier League.

Back-to-back seventh placed finishes also saw Nuno deliver European football for the club - taking them to the Europa League quarter-finals in 2020.

Shortly after leaving Molineux in May 2021, he was appointed manager of Tottenham but his time in London was short-lived.

Five defeats in seven matches at the start of the season saw Nuno sacked after just four months.

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