Nuno Espirito Santo claims he ‘couldn’t say no’ to head coach role at Nottingham Forest despite the sizeable task awaiting him… as former Wolves manager looks for first points at Newcastle

Nuno Espirito Santo has said that he had no choice but to accept the head coach role at Nottingham Forest ahead of his second match in charge of the Premier League side. 

The former Wolves manager helms his debut away fixture in charge of the side against Eddie Howe‘s Newcastle on Boxing Day after his appointment at the struggling club less than a week again. 

Nuno oversaw his maiden defeat at the City Ground three days ago as he failed to win the side their first points in the wake of the sacking of former manager Steve Cooper. 

The ex-Al-Ittihad head coach has a task at the City Ground, with Forest currently sitting just two points above the relegation zone on a scant 14 points. 

But Nuno has shared that he never considered turning down the role despite the difficult circumstances at the Evangelos Marinakis-owned club. 

The former Wolves manager oversaw his first defeat for club versus Bournemouth on Saturday

‘You cannot decide these things (when you arrive) you don’t choose the moment you come,’ Nuno insisted before kick-off at St James’ Park. ‘I got the call and I couldn’t say no. 

‘It allows us to see the players during the competitions and matches where we want to see them in a real test and I think we will have time to put our ideas across.

‘(We will) try to get the knowledge of the players as soon as possible. I found a good group. (It’s a) big squad (with) too many players, it’s an issue for us but the main part is to trust each other and do things together.

In his debut press conference in the role, Nuno did not shy away from expressing his intentions to trim the bulky squad, saying that he had ‘never managed’ a side of Forest’s side. 

‘We didn’t speak about transfer window yet (with Marinakis), not at that moment,’ Nuno continued.