Nottingham Forest sounded out La Liga manager before Postecoglou deal

Nottingham Forest surprised fans this week by sacking manager Nuno Espirito Santo. While there had been significant rumblings of discontent between Nuno and owner Evangelos Marinakis, it nevertheless is unusual given he guided them to a seventh-place finish last season, their best since 1995.

However it appears Forest were very much aware that Nuno would not be remaining as manager, having already reached an agreement with Ange Postecoglou to take over on a two-year deal. The former Spurs manager was dismissed himself in June after winning the Europa League.

Forest sounded out Rayo Vallecano manager

According to Diario AS, Rayo Vallecano manager Inigo Perez was among the top candidates for the job. Forest were interested in speaking to him, although at no point is it suggested that he was their first choice, but Perez, who was also linked with the job at former club Osasuna last spring, made it clear that he was not interested in leaving Rayo in the lurch. The 37-year-old coach is currently leading Rayo into their second ever European campaign in the Conference League, and the feeling is that the chance to move the Premier League will come again.

Inigo Perez’s impressive work at Rayo

The young coach has certainly done well during his short time as a senior coach. Taking over from Francisco midway through two seasons ago, he stabilised Rayo and guided them to safety in the second half of the year. With a full preseason to install his methods, Perez’s Rayo were one of the toughest teams to beat in La Liga, and finished eighth, qualifying for Europe on the final day of the season.

His links to Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola certainly won’t hurt his reputation. Formerly his assistant at Rayo, Perez was due to join him at Bournemouth, but visa issues prevented him from doing so. Perez’s side certainly look similar to the exciting side that Iraola put together in Vallecas.