Nuno Espirito Santo has been appointed Nottingham Forest’s new manager, replacing Steve Cooper, on a two-and-a-half-year contract.

Here, the PA news agency looks at what we might expect at the City Ground under the former Wolves and Tottenham boss.

Squad issues

Nuno likes to work with a small squad. At Wolves he capped it at around 22 players to ensure every member of the team felt like they had a chance of playing.

With Forest’s bloated squad it will be interesting to see how the new manager handles it and whether he feels the need to trim in January.

PR problems

If anyone expects Nuno’s press conferences to lead the headlines they will be mistaken. He did not like doing them at Wolves and was notorious for short answers and quick press conferences.

At Tottenham he held them on Zoom due to Covid regulations but remained cold and detached.

Should things go wrong at Forest, there will be little sympathy in the media.

Gibbs-White reunion

Gibbs-White struggled to get going under Nuno at Wolves and Forest’s record signing must be intrigued about the appointment.

He made 31 appearances in Wolves’ return to the Premier League under Nuno in 2018-19 but then just six in the top flight the following season before undertaking loans at Swansea and Sheffield United.

For Nuno to succeed at Forest he must get the best out of his former midfielder.

White Hart Pain

Nuno was a symptom of the problems at Tottenham when he was appointed, rather than being the sole problem himself.

He only joined after a chaotic recruitment process in 2021 which saw Mauricio Pochettino, Antonio Conte, Paulo Fonseca and Gennaro Gattuso all considered ahead of him.

It was little surprise it did not work and he was dumped after just four months, being replaced by Conte.

Stale or successful?

Nuno helped assemble a fine squad at Wolves, with Joao Moutinho, Raul Jimenez and Ruben Neves the core of their success as promotion and European football were achieved at Molineux.

But it ultimately went sour, Nuno went stale and performances became tedious.

Negative football at Tottenham peppered his brief reign and it remains to be seen if he can rediscover his magic touch.

Nottingham Forest look set to turn to former Wolves and Tottenham boss Nuno Espirito Santo as they move on from Steve Cooper.

Cooper was sacked on Tuesday after a run of just one win in 13 Premier League games, which has seen Forest plummet to just five points above the drop zone.

Forest have said an announcement on their next manager will be made in “due course”, but the PA news agency understands Nuno is the preferred candidate to take over at the City Ground and has met with club officials ahead of a possible appointment.

The Portuguese has been out of work since leaving Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad in November. He appears set for a return to the Premier League two years after his sacking from an ill-fated four-month stay at Spurs.

Cooper, 44, has had the support of the Forest fans after taking them from the bottom of the Championship to Premier League survival last season.

It was fan power that saved him from the sack last term but, with another summer of heavy investment from owner Evangelos Marinakis, the Greek businessman has lost patience.

Marinakis said: “Everyone at Nottingham Forest would like to thank Steve for his superb contribution to our football club. His achievement in guiding Forest back to the Premier League will undoubtedly remain an iconic moment in the club’s history.

“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. We wish him well in his future endeavours.”

Forest host Bournemouth in a crucial Premier League clash on Saturday before festive fixtures against Newcastle and Manchester United.

Nuno Espirito Santo's future as Tottenham manager is in doubt after a slow start.

The Portuguese only took over in June but his side are eighth in the Premier League with five losses already.

Spurs were humbled 3-0 at home by under-pressure Manchester United on Saturday.

Supporters made their feelings known at full-time as boos rung out around Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

TOP STORY – SPURS READY TO REPLACE NUNO

Tuttomercato claims that Tottenham are working on a deal to have ex-Inter boss Antonio Conte replace Nuno Espirito Santo as manager.

Football Insider also reports that Spurs will sack Nuno this week, with Ryan Mason to be installed as their interim boss again.

The Standard claims that Porto head coach Sergio Conceicao is also under consideration for the job.

ROUND-UP 

- Le Parisien reports that Paris Saint-Germain could sensationally walk away from their contract with off-season signing Sergio Ramos, who is yet to debut for the club due to ongoing injury issues from his time at Real Madrid. PSG are said to believe they were misled about his injury status.

- Barcelona are interested in a loan deal for Manchester United's wantaway Dutch midfielder Donny van de Beek, reports Sport.

- Real Madrid are considering moves for Manchester United's Paul Pogba and Chelsea's Antonio Rudiger, claims Marca.

- Theo Hernandez will ignore Manchester City 's advances and pen a new deal with Milan, reports Calciomercato.

- Tuttosport reports hot property Fiorentina forward Dusan Vlahovic wants to join Juventus amid interest from Tottenham, among others.

Nuno Espirito Santo hailed the unity demonstrated by Tottenham in their 1-0 EFL Cup fourth-round win over Burnley. 

Lucas Moura's 68th-minute header proved the difference at Turf Moor as Spurs progressed to the quarter-finals of the competition for the third time in four seasons. 

The visitors were made to dig deep as Burnley pushed for an equaliser late on, but they held out for victory and a first clean sheet in 11 matches in all competitions. 

Nuno felt his players deserved credit for their application as they responded to Sunday's Premier League defeat at West Ham. 

"We did a good job controlling the way they play," he said. "We were much better in the second half in terms of mobility and dynamic.  

"The end of the match is about defending, sticking together. It's good for the team.  

"We know that games require suffering and require unity, so we must congratulate the players because they did a good job." 

One sour note saw Tottenham lose Bryan Gil to injury after just 25 minutes of the tie, with Nuno revealing they are still awaiting a full assessment of the damage. 

Last season, Spurs were runners-up to Manchester City, whose quest for a fifth straight EFL Cup triumph was ended by a penalty shoot-out defeat at West Ham on Wednesday. 

Nevertheless, Nuno was quick to play down his side's chances of going the extra step this year after booking their place alongside the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and Leicester City in the quarter-final draw. 

"We cannot look much further," he added. "We came here to go through; we did it in a good way and with a good game.  

"Let's see the draw and wait for the next one. 

"There are still a lot of teams. Every team involved in the competition is an option, so let’s focus on ourselves." 

Nuno Espirito Santo claimed Tottenham were the better side despite limping to an insipid 1-0 defeat against West Ham on Saturday.

Spurs failed to record any second-half shot - on target or otherwise - as they collected a fifth consecutive Premier League London derby defeat thanks to Michail Antonio's second-half strike.

Tottenham forward Harry Kane has also now failed to score in each of his last five top-flight London derbies, his joint-longest wait for a goal since a run between May and December 2014.

Spurs head coach Nuno, however, insisted his side dominated proceedings at the London Stadium and did not deserve to come out on the losing side.

"All the game I think we played better, we were better than West Ham," Nuno told Tottenham's official media post-match.

"We controlled the game, the possession, the first half we created chances but we needed to be more accurate with them.

"All the game was under the control but just a moment from a set-piece we lacked our typical focus and then we concede.

"The boys were prepared, they did a good job. The aspects we need to improve are we need to be aggressive in the final third and be more accurate with the passes.

Nuno opted to not make a substitute until the 84th minute, introducing Bryan Gil and Giovani Lo Celso as he attempted to unlock West Ham's deep defence.

The former Wolves head coach defended his decision to delay his alterations, while commenting on how difficult the Hammers' defence is to breach.

"No, the game like I said was under control," Nuno told reporters at his post-match news conference.

"Changes are required when we think we should [make them]. The boys were playing good and then we made the changes in the moment that we felt that the team needed.

"Because West Ham defend in the box with a lot of men, there was not much space and we should've moved the ball faster and go to wide areas.

"But is always difficult when the team and all men are behind the ball, it is difficult to find spaces and gaps.

"It is always frustrating, a London derby that we know means a lot to our fans, means a lot to us and we were not able to win it. I am disappointed because it hurts, I know it hurts."

Nuno Espirito Santo demanded patience with Tanguy Ndombele as Tottenham defeated Wolves 3-2 on penalties following a 2-2 draw in Wednesday's EFL Cup clash.

Harry Kane and Ndombele had opened a two-goal lead but strikes from Leander Dendoncker and Daniel Podence, who profited from Ndombele's concentration lapse, sent the third-round tie to penalties.

Dendoncker then saw his effort saved by Pierluigi Gollini, with both Conor Coady and Ruben Neves missing as well to hand Spurs a place in the fourth round for the eighth time in the last 10 seasons.

Despite the shoot-out win, Nuno focused on Ndombele as he insisted the France midfielder needs time to regain confidence and settle in.

"Let's try to avoid as much as we can individual analysis," Nuno responded to reporters post-match when asked about the mistake for Wolves' second goal.

"We will do it and we will do it amongst ourselves and I think we have to be patient with Tanguy because of all that happened in pre-season and this is his third game and already we've had however many games we've played so far.

"So let's be patient with all our players and patient with the time that they need to get to the level that I truly believe their talent can allow."

Kane, who has still not scored in the Premier League this term, was also on target and Nuno used his captain as another example for why patience is required with his players.

"In terms of the squad and in terms of the preparation of the squad we have players who have 65, 70 [training] sessions and we have players who have 15 sessions," he continued.

"Until we can balance everything, I think that will be the moment the players improve and get better. Harry [Kane] did a very good game, I think he has much more to give and it's about the team improving and growing together."

Wolves missed three penalties to hand Tottenham a 3-2 shoot-out victory following a 2-2 draw in Wednesday's EFL Cup third-round clash.

Tanguy Ndombele and Harry Kane fired Tottenham into a two-goal lead inside 23 minutes but Leander Dendoncker responded for Bruno Lage's men before the interval.

Daniel Podence levelled things up 13 minutes after the break following a mistake from Ndombele, but penalties were required at Molineux as neither side could find a late winner.

Pierluigi Gollini managed to save from Dendoncker and with both Conor Coady and Ruben Neves faltering, Spurs marched into the fourth round despite Pierre-Emile Hjobjerg missing.

Ndombele opened the scoring with 14 minutes gone, getting the better of Coady before drifting inside Willy Boly and slotting through John Ruddy's legs.

The visitors doubled their advantage nine minutes later, with Dele Alli carving open the Wolves defence before Kane drilled into the bottom-left corner.

However, Dendoncker halved Spurs' lead as he climbed the highest from Rayan Ait Nouri's outswinging corner to head into the top-right corner.

Alli and Kane attempted to link-up once more after half-time, but Ruddy was on hand to deny the former before Ndombele was at fault for Wolves' equaliser.

The France midfielder was caught in possession by Hwang Hee-chan, with Dendoncker subsequently finding Podence, who curled into the bottom-right corner to level.

Kane's header almost restored Spurs' lead but Ruddy's reflex save kept the scores level before Neves' deflected strike clipped the crossbar as the tie headed towards penalties.

Neves blasted over the fifth spot-kick after the first four had all converted before Dendoncker saw his low effort saved by the Spurs goalkeeper diving to his right.

Hojbjerg could have won it for the visitors but Ruddy denied the Denmark midfielder. However, that did not matter as Coady smashed into the crossbar to hand the away side their place in the fourth round.

A Tottenham side deprived of the services of star man Harry Kane fought back after two Hakim Ziyech goals to earn a 2-2 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Goals either side of half-time from Ziyech gave Chelsea a well-deserved two-goal lead but Lucas Moura and Steven Bergwijn cancelled out the Blues' advantage with second-half finishes of their own.

Having paraded their Champions League trophy in front of the near-capacity crowd prior to kick-off, Chelsea got off to an emphatic start with Ziyech blasting in low from the edge of the area to capitalise on Lucas' laziness in possession.

Timo Werner thought he had added a second after rounding Pierluigi Gollini, though the offside flag denied him – with no VAR in operation, the Germany forward could not argue with the decision, despite seemingly looking onside.

Tottenham, who were still without the absent Kane amid his apparent desire to leave, named a strong starting-11, including Son Heung-Min and Dele Alli, but fell two behind when Ziyech drilled in a second just two minutes after the break.

Lucas responded for Nuno Espirito Santo's side, netting a third in pre-season courtesy of a fortuitous looping deflection off Antonio Rudiger wrong-footing Edouard Mendy.

Bergwijn levelled things up 14 minutes later with a thumping finish past Mendy after smart link-up play down the left flank by Moura and Son.

Having dominated for large periods the draw may frustrate Chelsea, who next face Villarreal in the European Super Cup on August 11, while Tottenham round-off their pre-season preparations against Arsenal three days before.

A brace from Hakim Ziyech had Chelsea seemingly coasting to victory at Stamford Bridge before Tottenham fought back to earn a 2-2 pre-season draw on Wednesday.

Goals either side of half-time from Ziyech gave Chelsea a well-deserved two-goal lead but Lucas Moura and Steven Bergwijn cancelled out the Blues' advantage with second-half finishes of their own.

Having paraded their Champions League trophy in front of the near-capacity crowd prior to kick-off, Chelsea got off to an emphatic start with Ziyech blasting in low from the edge of the area to capitalise on Lucas' laziness in possession.

Timo Werner thought he had added a second after rounding Pierluigi Gollini, though the offside flag denied him – with no VAR in operation, the Germany forward could not argue with the decision, despite seemingly looking onside.

Tottenham, who were still without the absent Harry Kane, named a strong starting-11, including Son Heung-Min and Dele Alli, but fell two behind when Ziyech drilled in a second just two minutes after the break.

Lucas responded for Nuno Espirito Santo's side, netting a third in pre-season courtesy of a fortuitous looping deflection off Antonio Rudiger wrong-footing Edouard Mendy.

Bergwijn levelled things up 14 minutes later with a thumping finish past Mendy after smart link-up play down the left flank by Moura and Son.

Having dominated for large periods the draw may frustrate Chelsea, who next face Villarreal in the European Super Cup on August 11, while Tottenham round-off their pre-season preparations against Arsenal three days before.

Tottenham must make signings in this transfer window if they want to challenge for the top four in the Premier League, according to former Spurs star Chris Waddle.

Having appointed former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo, Spurs will be looking for the Portuguese head coach to guide them to Champions League football for the first time since their fourth-place finish in the 2018-19 season.

Following Jose Mourinho's sacking in April, Ryan Mason steered his boyhood club to seventh at the end of last season to secure a position in the new UEFA Conference League before Nuno's appointment.

Amid continuing speculation surrounding talisman Harry Kane's departure, Nuno may be preparing for life in London without the England captain, who netted four times at Euro 2020 to finish behind Patrik Schick and Cristiano Ronaldo (five each) for the Golden Boot.

But Waddle feels it is the other end of the pitch that Nuno needs to focus on.

"Tottenham need to sort their defence out first and foremost," he told Stats Perform.

"Nuno had a good track record with Wolves defensively. But the football at Wolves wasn't probably what Tottenham fans would want to watch."

Tottenham shipped 45 goals last campaign, two fewer than they conceded in the 2019-20 season.

While Wolves' defence was breached 52 times last campaign – a season largely hampered by Raul Jimenez’s injury and the departures of Diogo Jota and Matt Doherty – Nuno's men conceded just 40 goals in 2019-20.

Up front, the situation with Kane, who finished as the Premier League's top scorer with 23 goals in the 2020-21 season before guiding England to their first major tournament final in 55 years, remains unclear.

With or without their star forward, Waddle feels Spurs have quality in their ranks, which could thrive with a few smart signings.

"[Pierre-Emile] Hojbjerg had a good tournament - good footballer, he's a good player," Waddle added.

"Son [Heung-min] is a good player we know that. It looks like [Nuno] is trying to buy, and it looks like he's trying to get a midfield player [to play] alongside Hojbjerg, which would be good.

"What I see, would it be a top-four team next season? At the present minute before the transfer market really kicks in. I would say well what they've got now - no.

"I would say they're probably going to be sixth or seventh. If they make four or five good signings - possibly top four, yes.

"Maybe they'll go into the pack, and they'll go into it with a chance, but at this minute in time no I wouldn't put Tottenham in top four."

Manchester City's ambitions are showing no end after missing out on the Champions League title.

City have been linked with star England pair Harry Kane and Jack Grealish to further bolster the Premier League champions.

But the price tags on the duo from Tottenham and Aston Villa may be their stumbling blocks.

TOP STORY – CITY SALE TO FUND KANE AND GREALISH MOVES

Manchester City will offload several fringe players to raise £70million in order to fund their moves for Tottenham star Harry Kane and Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish, claims the Daily Mail.

With Sergio Aguero departed, City manager Pep Guardiola wants a frontline striker and those surplus to requirements will reportedly be let go.

First-team players Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus, Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva and Riyad Mahrez all have admirers and could move on.

But also fringe talent like Yangel Herrera, Ivan Ilic, Jack Harrison, Pedro Porro and Lukas Nmecha, who have had loan spells elsewhere, could be cashed in.

Bernardo Silva has been linked with a move to Atletico Madrid in exchange for Saul Niguez, while Juventus are reportedly eyeing Gundogan.

ROUND-UP

- Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain are both keen on Inter's Achraf Hakimi and have lodged €60m (£52m) offers, reports Gianluca Di Marzio. Inter's asking price may be higher, while Chelsea may utilise Emerson Palmieri or Andreas Christensen as part of a swap deal.

- Bild says Borussia Dortmund will sell Jadon Sancho to United if they receive a suitable offer by the end of July. Sancho has long been tipped to swap Dortmund for United.

- Arsenal full-back Hector Bellerin is being linked with LaLiga champions Atletico and Real Betis by CBS Sport, while Sport have also claimed Juve are interested in the Spaniard, utilising Aaron Ramsey in a swap deal.

- Liverpool are looking to replace Georginio Wijnaldum, lining up Roma skipper Lorenzo Pellegrini, according to Corriere dello Sport.

- The Sun claims West Ham are ready this month to step up their bid to sign Jesse Lingard permanently from Manchester United after his excellent loan spell.

- Fabrizio Romano reports Arsenal are set to finalise the details on a new contract for young talent Emile Smith Rowe.

- Crystal Palace are closed to appointing former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo as their new manager to replace Roy Hodgson, claims The Telegraph.

Speculation has swirled for months about the future of Lionel Messi following a season of change at Barcelona.

Barca have been busy already this off-season, signing Sergio Aguero and Eric Garcia.

Compatriot Aguero had implored Messi to extend his Barcelona stay, which dates back to 2000, and it seems the striker may get his wish.

TOP STORY - MESSI RE-COMMITS TO CATALANS

Six-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi is set to pen a new two-year contract with Barcelona, according to AS.

The Argentina forward has practically agreed to the deal, with only "structural details" to complete.

Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain have both shown interest in Messi but he looks set to commit until 2023.

ROUND-UP

- Everton are in the market for a new manager after Carlo Ancelotti's sudden departure and The Athletic reports they will consider Rangers boss and Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard. TalkSPORT claims ex-Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo is also on their radar.

- COPE claims that new Real Madrid boss Ancelotti will not push to recruit James Rodriguez from the Italian's former club Everton.

- The Sun reports that Arsenal are in pole position in the race to sign Raheem Sterling from Manchester City. 

- The Sun also claims any potential Sterling move to Arsenal may scupper Manchester City's plans to sign Tottenham's Harry Kane , as they want to use the winger in a swap deal given Spurs hefty asking price.

- Manchester United are keen on Sevilla defender Jules Kounde but Barcelona have joined the pursuit for his signature, claims Mundo Deportivo.