Nuno Espirito Santo hailed the work of his predecessor Steve Cooper and admitted his delight at landing the Nottingham Forest job.
Cooper was sacked yesterday following a two-year spell in which he guided Forest from the bottom of the Championship into the Premier League.
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However, following a run of one win in 13 games which has seen the club slip to 17th in the table, albeit with a five-point cushion over Luton in the relegation zone, owner Evangelos Marinakis decided to act.
Nuno, who has worked in the Premier League at Wolves and Tottenham, was Marinakis’ first choice and the Portuguese wants to continue Cooper’s good work having signed a two-and-a-half-year deal.
He said: “What Steve did here was huge, getting Forest back in the Premier League. We are trying to improve this legacy, which is amazing.
“It shows how good the Forest fans are, the respect they have for Steve even though things didn’t go well [recently].”
First presser ✅ pic.twitter.com/K0Wpj2zfvl
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) December 20, 2023
Nuno’s arrival has not been met with universal acclaim from the Forest fans and, asked if had something to prove, he added: “We have to prove ourselves everyday in football. As coaches, managers, players, everybody, it is constant pressure to prove [yourself].
“Maybe not prove but to help, try to transmit my knowledge to the players so they can become a better team.”
Forest have had a major overhaul of playing staff under Marinakis but Nuno was undaunted and he’s relishing the chance to work for such an historic club.
“It feels great,” he said. “It’s a big chance and I’m very honoured, it’s a pleasure to be at Forest and manage such a great club with great history. I’m delighted.
“I just arrived yesterday, very late but we had a good training session today and more important is the knowledge, the chance to be with the players personally, getting to know them and them to know me and my coaching staff.
“We have a lot to improve but we are motivated to do it. I found a good atmosphere and now we have to engage to improve our situation.”
Nuno, 49, will be in charge for Saturday’s clash with Bournemouth at the City Ground.
