Nottingham Forest considering head coach admired by Pep Guardiola to replace Nuno - journalist

Nottingham Forest are considering the appointment of a head coach who is admired by Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.

The Reds finished their season with a 2-1 win over Burnley yesterday to preserve their Premier League status.

Despite achieving his goal of keeping Forest in the top flight, some doubts hang over Nuno Espirito Santo at the City Ground.

Earlier today,Fabrizio Romano claimed that Espirito Santo wasn’t guaranteed to remain at Forest next season – with talks set to take place.

Now, a head coach who has been praised by four-timePremier League winner Guardiola is on the shortlist of Evangelos Marinakis.

Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images

Nottingham Forest want Roberto De Zerbi

It’s fair to say that this news – although hardly surprising – would come as a massive shock if Forest could pull it off.

According to Italian football journalist Paolo Bargiggia, Forest are keen to discuss the option of appointing the Italian as a replacement for Espirito Santo.

The Reds aren’t alone, however, with Marseille and AC Milan placing De Zerbi at the top of their managerial shortlist.

De Zerbi announced he was leaving Brighton shortly before a defeat to Manchester United on the final day.

Brighton have really kicked on under the 44-year-old and last season they played in the Europa League, reaching the last 16.

It was something of a bolt from the blue that he was set to leave, with Guardiola raving about De Zerbi earlier this season.

De Zerbi took charge of 89 matches during his time at the AMEX Stadium, overseeing 38 wins and 29 defeats.

Talented boss would be game-changing appointment

It doesn’t feel like a huge surprise that the link has emerged between De Zerbi and Forest but it’d be a surprise if a deal could be done.

The stock of such a reputable coach is extremely high and he already has bigger clubs casting admiring glances.

De Zerbi has caught the eye for his attractive brand of football, although the European campaign derailed the Seagulls in terms of consistency during 2023/24.

The head coach typically favours a 4-2-3-1 system but deploys an aggressive high press when his team aren’t in possession of the ball.

That hardworking, desire-driven style of play would likely go down well at Forest but fans shouldn’t get too carried away over De Zerbi just yet.

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