Earliest Premier League Sackings: Where Nuno Espirito Santo’s Nottingham Forest Exit Ranks

Nottingham Forest parted company with manager Nuno Espirito Santo in the early hours of Tuesday morning, just 25 days into the new Premier League season.

The Portuguese coach oversaw only three games of the 2025-26 campaign — taking his overall tally in charge to 73 matches — before owner Evangelos Marinakis made a decision that left many fans emotional.

Nuno was dismissed despite leading Forest to seventh place last term — the club’s best league finish in three decades — and securing European football for the first time since the mid-1990s.

His departure also came less than three months after signing a new contract and shortly after Forest had spent £182.5 million on new players during what was a record-breaking transfer window for Premier League clubs.

Widespread reports suggest the sacking followed a major fallout with the club’s new head of football, Edu, as well as growing concerns over transfer policy. It is understood Forest are set to appoint Ange Postecoglou as Nuno’s replacement.

Yet while the timing of Nuno’s axing may feel brutal, history shows he is not the first Premier League manager to be ruthlessly sacked so soon after a season begins.

Early sackings are nothing new in the Premier League

The start of a new season is usually full of hope and optimism, but for some clubs it quickly turns to panic. Poor form, boardroom politics or clashes over transfers have seen managers lose their jobs within weeks of the first whistle.

In fact, Nuno’s 25-day tenure of the 2025-26 campaign does not even make the top five swiftest sackings in a Premier League season.

Top five earliest manager sackings in a Premier League season

1. Paul Sturrock – Southampton (2004-05) – 9 days

The benchmark for brutal decisions. Sturrock was shown the door just nine days into the season, after overseeing only two games: a 2-0 defeat at Aston Villa and a 3-2 home win over Blackburn. Officially it was by “mutual consent,” but in reality the Scot was discarded almost instantly. Southampton would go on to be relegated that year.

2. Peter Reid – Manchester City (1993-94) – 12 days

Reid, who was still registered as a player, paid the price for a poor start and a change in City’s hierarchy. He collected just one point from the first four games, losing to Blackburn at Maine Road in what proved his final match. He admitted later he had been “half expecting” the sack, but not within 12 days of kick-off.

3. Kenny Dalglish – Newcastle United (1998-99) – 12 days

A legend of the game, Dalglish replaced Kevin Keegan in 1997 but failed to inspire. Draws with Charlton and Chelsea at the start of the 1998-99 season were enough for the board to act, just 12 days in. Ruud Gullit replaced him, but fared little better.

4. Bobby Robson – Newcastle United (2004-05) – 16 days

One of the most unpopular sackings of the Premier League era. Chairman Freddy Shepherd dismissed the beloved Robson only four matches into the campaign, describing the decision as being like “shooting Bambi.” Newcastle failed to win any of their opening games, but fans blamed the players more than the manager.

5. Alan Curbishley – West Ham United (2008-09) – 18 days

Strictly speaking, Curbishley resigned rather than being sacked, but his exit after 18 days of the season came amid bitter disputes over transfer policy. He later won a wrongful dismissal case against the club. West Ham had actually started well, winning two of their first three matches, but boardroom politics cut short his tenure.

Where Nuno’s sacking ranks among earliest Premier League sackings

Nuno’s 25-day stay in 2025-26 puts him alongside other swift departures like Scott Parker at Bournemouth (2022, also 25 days) and just ahead of Javi Gracia at Watford (2019, 29 days), but he does not make the top five.

However, his case is somewhat unique as he had just delivered Nottingham Forest’s best season in a generation. For fans, that makes the sacking especially hard to swallow. Social media was full of messages of thanks and disbelief, with some admitting to shedding tears.

One fan tweeted: “I have actually shed tears. Over a football manager. It tells you what an absolutely fantastic bloody job he did. And what a season he gave us at Forest.”