Nottingham Forest third in the Premier League: how good are they and will they last?

Nuno returned to the Premier League after a spell in Saudi Arabia and there were some skeptics when he replaced Steve Cooper in December last year.

He had won the Saudi Pro League and Super Cup with Al-Ittihad, but after a brief and difficult spell at Tottenham, Forest fans would have been forgiven for feeling disappointed with his appointment.

His four-year spell at Wolves ended when things stagnated at Molineux and the team were unable to maintain their spectacular rise from the Championship to the Europa League quarter-finals.

But before the decline, he put together a team, with the help of agent Jorge Mendes, that included young talents such as Ruben Neves combined with the experience of Joao Moutinho.

He is slowly doing the same at the City Ground with the arrival of six senior players, including defender Milenkovic, who has helped Forest strengthen their defense and concede just seven goals so far. Only Liverpool (six) have sent less.

Those who have covered Nuno at Wolves, Spurs or now Forest know that he is not the most vocal in press conferences.

He is a meticulous planner of what happens on the pitch, which, over the course of a year, has steadily improved Forest’s prospects, although he has still benefited from the foundations laid by his predecessor Cooper.

Cooper’s influence and relationship were crucial in signing Gibbs-White, with whom he won the Under-17 World Cup while he was England youth coach, while the now Leicester manager brought Wood to the club and kept them in the Premier League. League.

Nuno has built on that success, although he has let his emotions get the better of him on the touchline – despite promising to stop criticism from referees – and in August he was fined £40,000 and suspended for one match after his comments. after the 2-0 defeat against Everton last season.

That suspension was triggered when he was sacked for challenging Gibbs-White’s red card in the draw at Brighton in September, meaning he has watched Forest’s last three games from the stands.