Nuno Espirito Santo Discusses Player Availability, Transfer Window Challenges, and Team Confidence Ahead of Tottenham Match

Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo addressed the media ahead of Thursday’s Premier League fixture against Tottenham, scheduled for a 15:00 GMT kick-off. The following are the principal points from his news conference. Nuno confirmed that the team is “still assessing” which players will be available for the Boxing Day match, noting that athletes have been engaged in recovery training and there remains “still time to make decisions.” When questioned about his previous role as manager at Tottenham, he stated that “the past is the past” and affirmed that his sole focus is now on Forest, where he expressed being “delighted” to be. Regarding whether this period marks the highest level of confidence he has experienced as a manager, he responded: “I’m always confident. Since the beginning and even last season. I’m confident the dedication and commitment can achieve good results. I’m very proud of players working every day, staying humble and recognising we have a lot to improve and a long way to go.” Nuno mentioned that he possesses limited knowledge about the club’s new chief executive, Lina Souloukou, who was appointed on Monday. He commented that “football is very simple” and that “each [person] takes care of their own things and I’m here to take care of what’s on the pitch and the players.” Addressing concerns that his players might attract interest during the January transfer window due to the team’s strong performance, he stated: “This is what we have to be ready for. Each part of club has to be responsible for their situation. Knowing January is a very tricky one for recruitment and a very tricky one for not creating any unbalance to our own squad.” He further added: “More [important] than anything is the players are committed and focused only on their tasks.” On the subject of how he and the team are working to sustain their current confidence, he outlined: “Work even harder. Commit even more. Pay attention even more to details. Everything more – more confidence, more belief, always with the expectation of increasing standards.” Nuno asserted that “the players make things happen” when asked about their belief in his instructions. He elaborated: “You can try and do whatever you can with the details but they are the ones who make things happen, so a lot of credit to them.” The Forest manager indicated he is “not even thinking about” the Reds’ potential final league position this season and declined to comment on whether they are contenders for European football.