Mourinho, Postecoglou in line as Nuno faces shock Forest exit

LONDON, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- Both Jose Mourinho and Ange Postecoglou are being linked with a return to the Premier League after a deterioration in the relationship between Nottingham Forest coach Nuno Espirito Santo and club owner Evangelos Marinakis.

Mourinho is now at Fenerbahce in Turkey, while Postecoglou is currently without a job since being sacked by Tottenham Hotspur this summer after leading the club to the UEFA Europa League title, while his Greek heritage could be a temptation for the Forest owner.

If Nuno were to be sacked by Forest, it would come as a huge surprise after his achievements last season. Under his management, the club finished seventh in the Premier League and earned a place in the Conference League, which was upgraded to the Europa League following Crystal Palace's demotion due to multi-ownership issues.

However, the Portuguese coach confirmed a breakdown in relations with Marinakis, admitting rumors of off-field problems were true in his Friday press conference ahead of Sunday's trip to play Crystal Palace.

"Where there's smoke, there's fire, so I know how things work," said Nuno, adding he was "the first one to be worried."

"I always had a very good relationship with the owner [Marinakis], last season was very close. This season, not so well. No, it's not good."

"I don't know exactly, but I'm being honest with you. I cannot say that is the same, because it's not the same. The reason behind it, I don't know," said the coach.

Nuno insisted he believed in "dialogue" but repeated the relationship was "not what it used to be. What it used to be was a good, respectful relationship, but was more based on trust and sharing opinions, and now it's not so good," he admitted. ■