Nuno Espirito Santo is a target for clubs in Portugal and Spain who are weighing whether they can prise him away from Nottingham Forest.
Despite the club suffering a four-point deduction for breaking spending rules during his tenure, Nuno steered Forest to survival, eventually finishing six points clear of 18th-placed Luton.
Nuno has one year remaining on the contract he signed to replace Steve Cooper last December, with an option for a further season.
Forest are thought to be happy with Nuno’s work and at this stage would see no reason to make a change ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.
Yet Nuno’s stock remains high both in his homeland, where he has coached Porto and Rio Ave, and in Spain, where he led Valencia to Champions League qualification in 2014. There is also a feeling in football circles in those countries that Nuno could be tempted back for the right role.
Nuno Espirito Santo is a target for clubs in Portugal and Spain if a vacancy arrives this summer
The former Wolves boss led Forest to safety after replacing Steve Cooper back in December
Forest avoided relegation despite being deducted four points for breaking spending rules
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Since joining Wolves in 2017, Nuno has had spells with Tottenham and Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League, before moving to Forest midway through the recently-concluded season.
If either of Portugal’s ‘big three’ clubs were to need to make a change this summer, it would be no surprise if Nuno became part of that conversation.
At Porto, Sergio Conceicao is admired by clubs in Italy while Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim is one of the continent’s highest-rated young coaches.
Meanwhile, Roger Schmidt’s Benfica finished 10 points adrift of Sporting in the Portuguese title race.
Nuno previously had spells in charge of Valencia (above) and Porto before moving to England
If Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim (left), Porto’s Sergio Conceicao (right) or Benfica’s Roger Schmidt left their roles, it is thought that Nuno would be a contender for the role
Nuno is the best-paid manager in Forest’s history and though he has delivered survival, his relationship with the supporters has not yet flourished the way it did at Wolves, where fans adored him.
After taking Wolves to promotion in his first season at the club, Nuno led them to consecutive seventh-placed finishes in the Premier League, as well as an FA Cup semi-final and a Europa League quarter-final.
But he has never managed to hit those heights in English football since, though when Forest hired him they were confident he would quickly lead them up in the table in seasons ahead.
