Nuno Espirito Santo, chosen for the best coach award even if Liverpool win the Premier League and the Champions League
Nuno Espirito Santo should be named Manager of the Year if Nottingham Forest qualify for the Champions League.
That is the vision of Troy Deeney who believes that not even the most optimistic of Forest fans would have dreamed of the season they are experiencing.
Side face of Saint Liverpool in the Premier League on Tuesday night, with Arne Slot's side currently firmly in control of the title race as they hold a six-point lead over Arsenal and Forest, which occupy second and third place respectively.
Given that the Tricky Trees finished 17th in the table last season, it has been quite a remarkable rise under the Portuguese manager.
This means that the clash at the City Ground now looks like a title fight, something no one would have predicted.
But while winning the title in his first season in charge would be a huge achievement for Slot, Deeney believes a European finish for Forest would see Nuno overtake him for manager of the year.
“At the beginning of the year there was talk that Forest would be relegated, so if they finish in the European places, Nuno has to be coach of the year.
“Arne Slot is fantastic and has done a great job, but they brought in one player (Federico Chiesa), which shows that that team was already really good.
“Obviously he had to come, modify it and change it, but for what Nuno is doing it is a no-brainer.
“Even the most difficult of Liverpool Fans would have to say it's hard to give it to Slot.
“If Forest finishes second, he is guaranteed (to win the Manager of the Year award). “If they finish fourth then there is definitely an argument for it.”
Santo, who took over the club in December 2023, has done wonders, helping them avoid relegation despite facing a four-point deduction for violating PSR rules.
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This season, the former Wolves and Tottenham boss has taken the team to dizzying new heights.
Forest have been unstoppable this season, having won 12 of their 20 games so far in the Premier League.
As well as scoring 29 times, they have conceded just 19 times (the same number as Liverpool) to give them the second best defensive record in the league.
When asked if Slot deserves to win it if Liverpool add the Champions League trophy to a potential Premier League one, Deeney explained that doing so by Liverpool is not a far-fetched idea given they have done it six times before.
“I could see them win. They are a good team and have done well in the tournament for the last 15 years, but for Forest to get into the Champions League?
“Even the owner of Forest, who loves that club more than anyone because he pays for it, wouldn't have paid a single cent (for Champions League qualification) at the beginning of the year.
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“It's such a big jump that it would have to be Nuno. I'm not saying he's better than Slot, but he would deserve it in that situation.”
While Forest enters territory unknown to modern fans, older fans have become accustomed to success in Europe.
Nicknamed the 'Miracle Men', the team won consecutive European Cups in 1979 and 1980, and manager Brian Clough took charge of the team when they were mid-table in Division Two in 1975.
The next five years were certainly nothing short of a miracle and now Santo has current fans dreaming of returning in a big way once again.
