Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has appointed Ange Postecoglou as the club’s new manager, beating out Brendan Rodgers and Jose Mourinho for the job.

Nottingham Forest has appointed Ange Postecoglou as their new manager, following the sacking of Nuno Espirito Santo.

The decision was made by owner Evangelos Marinakis, who wanted a quick appointment after dismissing Nuno. Marinakis held talks with Postecoglou over the international break and was impressed by his readiness to step into the job straight away.

Postecoglou’s Greek heritage likely played a role in Marinakis’ decision, as well as his attacking style of football and success in the Europa League with Tottenham. The Australian manager has been without a job since being sacked by Tottenham at the end of last season and was always the top candidate for Marinakis.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s departure came after a fallout with Marinakis and global head of football Edu.

The Portuguese coach had been in charge since December 2023 and guided the club to a seventh-place finish in the Premier League last season. However, frustrations over transfer business and the arrival of Edu ultimately led to his downfall.

Postecoglou beat out other candidates, including Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers and Jose Mourinho, for the job. Rodgers is in the final year of his contract at Celtic, while Mourinho is available following his sacking by Fenerbahce on August 29.

Postecoglou’s readiness to take on the job immediately was a significant factor in his appointment.

As the new manager, Postecoglou will face a challenging task in negotiating a fractious situation at Forest following the bitter exit of Espirito Santo. The team faces a trip to Arsenal in Saturday’s early kick-off, and Marinakis has acted quickly to ensure a new boss is in place for that game.