After Steve Cooper was sacked from his position as Nottingham Forest manager on Tuesday afternoon, the Nottingham Forest next manager betting markets went into overdrive. Due to a heavy favourite being all but announced, the market has been suspended and it looks like a former Portuguese Premier League manager is set to take the reigns at the City Ground.
Nottingham Forest next manager betting – latest news:
Steve Cooper relieved of his duties
It had been coming for several weeks but on Tuesday 19 December, the Nottingham Forest board made the decision to sack Steve Cooper. The Welshman had brought the club back to the Premier League and kept them up last season but the club's form this campaign had set alarm bells ringing in the boardroom.
Forest have won just one of their last 13 league games which effectively made Cooper's position in the dugout untenable despite the fact he retained the support of the majority of Forest supporters. In a statement, the club said:
“We thank Steve for his dedication and commitment during his time with us, as well as the incredible connection he forged with our supporters and the city of Nottingham. Steve will always remain a friend of the Club and will forever be welcome at The City Ground.”
Nottingham Forest next manager betting – Who is in the running?
Nuno Esperito Santo – Fav
Nuno Espirito Santo has emerged as the outright favourite to take over at The City Ground with reports on Tuesday suggesting it is only a matter of time until the deal is officially announced. Santo has previously managed Wolves and Tottenham in the Premier League but only lasted a couple of months in the latter role due to poor performances and results.
The Portuguese manager last coached Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League and led them to the title last season. However, he was sacked in November after reportedly falling out with star man, Karim Benzema. If Santo is appointed then Forest fans will perhaps feel a little underwhelmed as the ex-Wolves boss is famed for playing a defensive brand of football.
Oliver Glasner
Before Santo became the frontrunner, Oliver Glasner was being heavily linked with the position. Glasner isn't a well-known name in English football but he has a good reputation in Germany after the job he did at Eintracht Frankfurt. Glasner won the Europa League with Frankfurt in 2022 and led them to the DFB-Pokal final the following year. If the deal with Santo falls through, then Forest could do a lot worse than Glasner.
Julen Lopetegui
Julen Lopetegui sensationally quit Wolves in the summer after a lack of transfer activity so it's easy to see why the Forest job would be of interest to him considering the money the club has spent in recent years. Lopetegui was linked with the job a couple of weeks ago while he has also been linked with the Sevilla managerial job. The Spaniard made a good impression at Wolves and it would be good to see him manage in the Premier League again.
Ralph Hasenhuttl
Another man who has been tipped to take over at Nottingham Forest is Ralph Hasenhuttl. The Austrian did a fantastic job at Southampton from 2018-2022 and it was no surprise to see the Saints go down after he departed. Hasenhuttl has been out of work since leaving Southampton last year so he would be easy to attain should Forest decide to turn their back on Santo at the last minute.
