Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis was spotted close to a trophy-laden manager recently, and the tactician is now reportedly open to talks over replacing Ange Postecoglou at the City Ground.
Nottingham Forest consider Ange Postecoglou replacements after poor start
Postecoglou’s tenure at Forest has been nothing short of a nightmare so far, putting the Australian’s future at the club under intense scrutiny.
Appointed with the aim of instilling a vibrant, attacking style, Postecoglou instead finds himself navigating a storm of poor results, mounting criticism, and growing fan unrest just weeks into his reign.
Since taking charge, Postecoglou has become the first permanent Forest manager in over a century to go six games without a win. His side have struggled to translate his high-intensity, possession-based philosophy into results, often appearing disjointed and lacking cohesion on the pitch.
Arsenal 3-0 Forest
Premier League
Swansea 3-2 Forest
Carabao Cup
Burnley 1-1 Forest
Premier League
Real Betis 2-2 Forest
Europa League
Forest 0-1 Sunderland
Premier League
Forest 2-3 FC Midtjylland
Europa League
Newcastle 2-0 Forest
Premier League
Defensive frailties have been brutally exposed, and the team has conceded goals at an alarming rate, compounding the pressure on a manager desperate to turn things around.
Fans openly chanted for his dismissal when Forest fell to a shock 3-2 defeat at home to FC Midtjylland in the Europa League, with many questioning the club’s decision to appoint him.
Postecoglou, if he is sacked inside the next 10 days, could become the shortest-reigning manager in Premier League history — breaking former Charlton Athletic boss Les Reed’s record — who was shown his P45 after just 41 days in the 2006/2007 season.
It may not be during this international break after all, according to reliable media sources like Fabrizio Romano, but Sky Sports have reported that Marinakis isn’t afraid to be ruthless and pull the trigger if Postecoglou doesn’t turn things around quickly.
Should the club decide to part ways with Postecoglou, a shortlist of replacement candidates is already emerging in the media.
Leading the pack among rumored successors is Fulham’s Marco Silva. The Portuguese is respected for his experience navigating the Premier League with limited resources, and Silva also boasts a good relationship with Marinakis following their successful period at Olympiacos together.
Silva is a long-term target for Forest, so this is apparently one to keep an eye on, while Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner is also a “prime candidate” to replace Postecoglou, according to TEAMtalk.
There is another option too — former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez.
Rafael Benitez open to Nottingham Forest managerial talks
The Spaniard, who guided Liverpool to a Champions League title in 2005, also won La Liga twice at Valencia and led Chelsea to a Europa League triumph 12 years ago.
Benitez also boasts a Coppa Italia, Italian Super Cup, FA Cup, UEFA Cup, Club World Cup, Community Shield and UEFA Super Cup on his illustrious CV, with the 65-year-old’s last job in management coming at Celta Vigo in 2024.
He hasn’t coached in England since leaving his lacklustre spell at Everton in 2022, but the tactician’s undoubted experience could be appealing to the Tricky Trees.
Benitez was spotted in “close proximity” to Marinakis during Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Olympiacos in the Champions League last week, and a report from GiveMeSport has now shared an update on the prospect of his potential move to Forest.
Clubs
Tenure
Matches in charge
Titles/achievements
Real Valladolid
1995-96
25
Osasuna
1996
9
Extremadura
1997-99
92
Segunda promotion
Tenerife
2000-01
46
Segunda promotion
Valencia
2001-04
162
La Liga X2
UEFA Cup
Liverpool
2004-12
350
Champions League
FA Cup
UEFA Super Cup
Internazionale
2010
25
FIFA Club World Cup
Supercoppa Italiana
Chelsea
2012-13
48
Europa League
Napoli
2013-15
112
Coppa Italia
Supercoppa Italiana
Real Madrid
2015-16
25
Newcastle United
2016-19
146
EFL Championship
Dalian Professional
2019-21
38
Everton
2021-22
22
Celta de Vigo
2023-24
33
GMS report that Benitez would entertain an approach to manage Forest, as he’s keen to manage in the Premier League again, and the former Newcastle boss is under genuine consideration as an option.
Known for his tactical discipline and ability to organize teams defensively, Benitez could help to stabilize a struggling Forest side. His proven track record of guiding teams through relegation battles and achieving promotion — like he did during his spell at Newcastle — shows that he can thrive under pressure.
However, his inactivity lately is perhaps a cause for concern, especially given the increasing demands and pressure on managers to succeed.