Nottingham Forest are flying high in the Premier League this season and currently occupy the third spot as the business end of the campaign fast approaches.
Nuno Espirito Santo has been praised by Jamie Redknapp this season. The Forest head coach has left many pundits to eat their words after lots of love for Steve Cooper when he was sacked in December 2023.
Forest signed well in the summer. Nikola Milenkovic signed for a small £12 million, whilst Gary Neville has raved about Elliot Anderson who was added to the ranks for £35 million.
Players win football matches but the hard work begins with the man who occupies the dugout. Espirito Santo never wants any praise and instead is keen to focus on his players but it’s clear that he deserves immense praise for this season as well.
Nottingham Forest star Anthony Elanga makes Nuno Espirito Santo claim
The Reds players are clearly doing wonderful things under their head coach and Espirito Santo has rediscovered himself as a Premier League manager after his ill-fated 17-game spell with Tottenham.
Forest are in a position to challenge for European football next season. With 13 games to go, there is a lot to play for and the Reds might well find themselves reaching the Champions League.
Anthony Elanga is one player who has started to repay his coach’s faith. He’s been lifting the lid on what life is like behind the scenes working with Espirito Santo at Forest.
He told The Athletic: “He can be very direct because it shows that none of us can relax. He is chilled, but quite demanding at the same time. When I say ‘direct’, I mean that he will tell you when you are doing something right or wrong. He demands a lot from us. But that i just because he wants to get better; to be as good as we can be.”
Anthony Elanga stats 2024/25
Elanga has proved a very good signing since a £15 million move from Manchester United in the summer of 2023 in a transfer that did leave a lot of people quite surprised.
The Sweden international was hardly getting regular game time at Old Trafford. Elanga bemoaned a lack of game time at United and he’s clearly taken his game to a new level at the City Ground.
Elanga will be hoping to get back into the Sweden squad in March. He was dropped by the head coach Jon Dahl Tomasson in November and now faces an anxious wait to see if he’s back in.
Forest will hope to see more of winger as the season reaches a climax. Newcastle offered £50 million for Elanga last summer and thankfully, the Reds decided to stand firm and keep him at the club.
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