There’s plenty of work for Nottingham Forest and Ange Postecoglou to do after a disappointing start to life under the Australian and, as such, Evangelos Marinakis is already eyeing one potential reinforcement.
Pressure growing on Ange at Nottingham Forest
To say that Nottingham Forest haven’t enjoyed the start to their season that they had been hoping would be an understatement. The drama began with the controversial sacking of Nuno Espirito Santo, who has since joined West Ham United.
Marinakis was left to choose between transfer chief Edu Gaspar and the manager that took the Tricky Trees into European football. In the end, he chose Edu.
Since then, Postecoglou has arrived and endured what can only be described as a nightmare star. Forest have shown flashes of what they’re capable of under the former Tottenham Hotspur boss, but as Marinakis will reiterate more than most, football is a results game and the pressure is already growing on the new manager.
Despite some damning numbers at the start of his Forest tenure, though, Postecoglou has remained calm about his position. The manager told reporters after his side’s 3-2 defeat against Midtjylland in the Europa League: “It’s a valid assumption in modern football that there’s always a manager under pressure.
Fabrizio Romano shares what he's heard from Nottingham Forest on Ange's City Ground future
The Tricky Trees are in a spot of bother after a poor run of results.
BySean Markus Clifford
“That’s just part and parcel of what we do and I just don’t think that way. Put it this way, I knew I was getting sacked at Tottenham about three or four months before I did but it didn’t stop me winning something.”
What would certainly help the Australian turn things around is some January business and Marinakis already has his eye on one potential incoming as a result.
Nottingham Forest eyeing Ortiz move
As reported by Brazilian journalist Fabricio Lopez and relayed by Sport Witness, Nottingham Forest are now eyeing a move to sign Leo Ortiz from Flamengo in the January transfer window. The 29-year-old Brazilian international is yet to be convinced by the move, but should look at the success that Murillo has enjoyed before making his decision.
The Forest centre-back was signed from Corinthians from 2023 and the rest of the Premier League quickly discovered that the Midlands club had discovered a gem. Now, the more experienced Ortiz could be next in line.
Given how they’ve started under Postecoglou from a defensive standpoint too, adding an experienced central defender who’s vying for a place at the 2026 World Cup wouldn’t be Forest’s worst idea.
They’ve got the type of schedule that should see Ortiz receive the game time that he’s looking for, which could also see Murillo handed the rest that he arguably needs. After a summer of chaos and change, the 29-year-old is a target that makes perfect sense at the City Ground.