What Vitor Pereira just said about Nuno Espirito Santo proves how lucky Nottingham Forest are to have him 

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Nuno Espirito Santo’s remarkable performance as Nottingham Forest manager has not gone unnoticed this season, with Wolves manager Vitor Pereira praising him ahead of Monday’s clash.

Evangelos Marinakis has promised Espirito Santo a transfer bounty if his side are to secure European football this season, a task that is in their own hands as they sit third in the Premier League.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LiverpoolLiverpool	18	14	3	1	45	17	28	45
2	ArsenalArsenal	19	11	6	2	38	17	21	39
3	Nottm ForestNottingham Forest	19	11	4	4	26	19	7	37
4	ChelseaChelsea	19	10	5	4	38	23	15	35

Whilst the brilliance of the Forest squad has played a big role in the club’s rise up the table, Espirito Santo and his Forest coaching staff can be very proud of their contributions.

They aren’t going unnoticed either, with Espirito Santo’s tactics praised against Everton as his side notched up their fifth successive win over the Christmas period.

Clearly, the Forest manager will be going into the clash with Wolves with confidence, especially after what Wolves boss Pereira has said in the buildup to Monday’s game.

Vitor Pereira hails Nuno Espirito Santo ahead of Wolves clash

Speaking to the press ahead of hosting Forest on Monday night, Pereira was full of praise for his Portuguese compatriot in the opposition dugout.

Pereira said: “I’ve known Nuno [Espirito Santo] for a long time, since he was working in Portugal. He and his staff are doing fantastic, consistent and quality work. It means that he is one of the top coaches here in England.

“I like his personality because he’s low profile. He’s not a coach who speaks too much, he shows his work on the pitch.”

Given that they have had similar career paths with both managing Porto and Wolves, there is a clear connection between the two, almost suggesting that Pereira may see Espirito Santo as a guide to succeeding in English football.

Pereira would be right to follow in the footsteps of Espirito Santo, with his career stats backing up the Wolves boss’ claim about his standing amongst the best in English football.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s managerial career in England deserves praise

Espirito Santo took over at the City Ground after Steve Cooper was sacked by Forest in December 2023 but he was no stranger to English football.

The Portuguese manager had managed Wolves and Tottenham in the Premier League before Forest, jobs in which he won more games than he lost.

At Wolves, Espirito Santo won 96 games to his 57 losses and even during his short stint at Tottenham he still won nine games to his seven losses.

In fact, his current spell at Forest has yielded his lowest points-per-game average in the Premier League, showing that any praise he is receiving now should have been replicated throughout his time in England.

Evangelos Marinakis personally admired Espirito Santo when searching for his successor to Cooper, with his instincts being correct as Forest are incredibly lucky to have the Portuguese man in charge.