Nottingham Forest’s brilliant season has not gone unnoticed, with Nuno Espirito Santo now targeted for a shock managerial switch.
The Portuguese manager has received plenty of praise this season, with Ange Postecoglou hailing Espirito Santo’s work just one example of the respect he has earned from his peers.
Espirito Santo even matched a Brian Clough record this campaign, doing the double over Manchester United to put him alongside the Forest legend.
However, Espirito Santo’s loyalty to the City Ground looks set to be tested to its limits, with a new report suggesting he is a target for a lucrative job elsewhere.
Nuno Espirito Santo targeted by Al-Hilal for manager role
Forest were reluctant to offer Espirito Santo a new deal back in February to avoid any distractions going into the second half of the season, but that decision could come back to haunt Evangelos Marinakis.
According to talkSPORT, the 51-year-old has been shortlisted by Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal to fill their vacant managerial position alongside Fulham boss Marco Silva.
The report said: “Al Hilal have set their sights on Marco Silva and Nuno Espirito Santo as they look to secure a new manager before the Club World Cup.
“Legendary boss Jose Mourinho is another big name under consideration by the Saudi Arabian club. […] With the Club World Cup commencing on June 15, Al Hilal are intent on conducting a swift replacement process.
“It is understood the club will line up a two-man shortlist before extending a formal offer by mid-May.”
Amongst such names as Mourinho, Reds fans might feel more relaxed about the prospect of keeping Espirito Santo, but the Forest manager has an advantage that the other candidates cannot offer.
Nuno Espirito Santo has enjoyed success in Saudi Arabia
The big name value of Mourinho could well swing the odds in his favour, but if Al Hilal are looking for someone with a track record of success in the Middle East, Espirito Santo could be their man.
Espirito Santo took charge of Al Ittihad for the 2022-23 season and enjoyed tremendous success, winning the Saudi Pro League title before the likes of Karim Benzema and N’golo Kante had joined the club.
The Portuguese coach would eventually leave the club with an astounding record of 2.3 points per game, showing that he is more than capable of dominating the division.
An Al Ittihad expert backed Espirito Santo to succeed at Forest, which he certainly has, so now it all depends on whether this success is enough to take precedence over the financial package he would be offered by Al Hilal to continue his domination over the Saudi Pro League.
Receive a digest of our best Nottingham Forest content each week direct to your mailbox
