Mourinho back in the frame as Forest weigh Nuno’s future
A familiar name is back on the Premier League rumour mill. Jose Mourinho, fresh off a short and bruising spell at Fenerbahce, has been sounded out as a potential option for Nottingham Forest if the club parts ways with Nuno Espirito Santo. Multiple well-placed voices in the game say Mourinho is open to a return to England should the City Ground door open.
The interest comes as pressure intensifies on Nuno. The relationship between the head coach and owner Evangelos Marinakis has frayed, according to people with knowledge of the situation. There have been confrontations with senior figures and disagreements over direction, recruitment, and staff. None of this is unusual at Forest under Marinakis, but the tone has hardened in recent weeks.
Mourinho, 62, is on the market after Fenerbahce’s Champions League push fell apart in the qualifying play-offs against Benfica. The Turks missed out on the group stage, and Mourinho was dismissed days later. He had already kept his options open for a possible Premier League return, and that message has been amplified by figures like Mick Brown, the former Manchester United and Sunderland chief scout, who says the Portuguese coach would listen if Forest called.
Forest are not short of alternatives. Marco Silva, admired for the structure and stability he has brought to Fulham, is on the list. Any move there would be complicated. Fulham would need to grant permission, compensation would be required, and Silva has previously rebuffed lucrative offers to stay in west London. But his name is in the conversation, which shows Forest are testing multiple avenues.
Marinakis has a track record of acting fast. At Olympiacos and Forest, he has not hesitated to make changes if he feels ambition is stalling or internal trust is broken. Since his arrival at Forest in 2017, the club has run through several coaches, with dramatic swings in squad size and strategy. The goal now is to steady the Premier League project: stay up without a scramble, then edge into mid-table and beyond. He wants a manager he trusts in tense moments.
That is why Mourinho is interesting. He knows the league inside out, has won it three times with Chelsea, and can impose order quickly. At Manchester United he delivered the Europa League and League Cup in his first season. At Tottenham, he reached a domestic cup final. At Roma, he won the inaugural Europa Conference League. The promise is simple: short-term clarity, defensive structure, and a sharp edge in big games.
Would Forest be a fit? On paper, more than you might think. The City Ground can be a fortress when the team defends with bite and counterattacks with pace. The squad already has pieces that suit a compact, transition-based style: a creator who thrives between the lines, wingers who can run, a strong centre-forward, and centre-backs comfortable in duels. Mourinho has built plenty of sides around those traits.
There are hurdles. Mourinho likes authority over key decisions. He travels with trusted staff. He expects serious backing in the market, usually for experienced players who can learn instructions quickly. Forest’s recent history is the opposite: a flood of signings, a youthful core, and constant churn. After a points deduction last season under the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules, every move now must be measured against the balance sheet. A big-name coach is one cost; a payout for Nuno and his staff would be another.
Forest also need to consider the dressing room. Mourinho teams can get a quick bounce because the rules are clear and the standards are strict. But his methods demand absolute compliance. Players who buy in often improve; those who do not, drift. In a squad that has changed so often in two years, gaining that unity would take heavy lifting from day one.
Timing matters. Acting before an international break gives a new coach breathing space on the training ground. Acting late in the window limits the chance to reshape the team. Forest’s upcoming run of fixtures is another variable: a tough stretch could force decisive action; a couple of steady results might cool the temperature and buy Nuno time.
Inside the club, the mood is described as watchful rather than panicked. Nuno still has allies. He steadied Forest in difficult moments and knows the terrain. But the arguments with senior figures have raised the stakes. If Marinakis starts taking soundings from candidates, that usually means he is willing to move if the right answer appears.
What would Mourinho want to hear in a first meeting? Clear lines on who signs players. Guarantees on support staff. A realistic target for the season that can be achieved without constant upheaval. He will also ask about the pipeline: can Forest add two or three experienced starters in winter if needed, even under PSR pressure? If the answers are vague, he typically walks.
Silva, by contrast, would represent continuity with a calmer edge. He has built Fulham into a disciplined mid-table side with a defined identity and steady recruitment. To get him, Forest would need to pay and to convince him that the project is worth the friction that comes with Marinakis’ impatience. That is a hard sell when his current job is stable.
Here is the likely sequence if Forest decide to press the button:
- Resolve Nuno’s future and any compensation in principle.
- Sound out Mourinho’s camp to align on power, budget, and staff.
- In parallel, ask Fulham for permission to speak to Silva and gauge cost and interest.
- Pick a direction quickly to avoid drifting into the next run of fixtures without clarity.
Supporters, for their part, are split. Some want a headline appointment to match the club’s ambition and history. Others fear a cycle of churn that never lets the team breathe. Both camps agree on one point: Forest need a plan that lasts longer than a handful of months.
Mourinho brings star power and a proven survival-and-beyond blueprint. Nuno offers familiarity and a belief that stability can still be built after a tense start. Silva, if attainable, is the middle road: less drama, more structure, fewer fireworks. Forest are weighing all three paths against a Premier League table that is unforgiving to teams that hesitate.
As of now, no final decision has been communicated to the squad, and formal talks with candidates have not been confirmed by the club. That can change fast. When ownership starts war-gaming scenarios and agents begin making calls, momentum builds. And once that happens at Forest, history says the end point usually comes into view quickly.
The question is not just who stands in the technical area on Saturday. It is what kind of club Forest want to be for the next 18 months: a risk-taking side built for counterpunching under a serial winner, a calmer outfit led by a system coach, or a project that bets on Nuno to mend fences and lift results. The next move will tell everyone exactly where this regime thinks the ceiling is.
The stakes around the City Ground
This is a pivotal choice for a club with big crowds, high emotion, and a recent history of volatility. A marquee name buys time with global attention but demands control. A steadier hand may bring fewer headlines but more oxygen. Either way, the margin for error is thin. The last time Forest hesitated, they paid for it with a points deduction and a season spent looking over their shoulders.
Mourinho is available. Silva is admired. Nuno is under strain. Marinakis is watching. The Premier League does not wait for anyone, and Forest know it.