Evangelos Marinakis breaks silence as Nottingham Forest appoint Ange Postecoglou

Ange Postecoglou has been officially appointed as Nottingham Forest's new head coach. And club owner Evangelos Marinakis has broken his silence and issued a statement of intent.

It was confirmed last night that Nuno Espirito Santo had been relieved of his duties at the City Ground, following a summer of public criticism and the deterioration of his relationship with Marinakis. Postecoglou quickly emerged as a candidate to replace Nuno, and less than 24 hours after the Portuguese manager's exit, the former Tottenham and Celtic boss was installed as the club's new head coach. Marinakis's silence has now been broken in a statement that outlines a wish for silverware.

"We are bringing a coach to the Club who has a proven and consistent record of winning trophies," said Marinakis of Postecoglou's appointment.

"His experience of coaching teams at the highest level, along with his desire to build something special with us at Forest, makes him a fantastic person to help us on our journey and achieve consistently all our ambitions.

"After gaining promotion to the Premier League, then building consistently season after season to secure European football, we now must take the right step to compete with the very best and challenge for trophies. Ange has the credentials and the track record to do this, and we are excited he is joining us on our ambitious journey."

Postecoglou was let go by former club Spurs earlier this summer after guiding them to Europa League glory, but finishing a woeful 17th in the Premier League. He will now take over from Nuno, whose exit stems from his dented relationship with Greek billionaire Marinakis.

Marinakis was reportedly 'furious' with Nuno after the manager called out Forest's transfer strategy. He admitted in August that his relationship with the owner was "not the same" as last year, with the arrival of new global head of football, Edu, supposedly causing a rift.

The Portuguese manager himself acknowledged that his job may have been at risk before his exit was confirmed, admitting last month regarding sack rumours: "When there's smoke, there's fire."

Now, Postecoglou will be at the helm when Forest take on Arsenal this Saturday. After a trip to London, Postecoglou and his men will play Swansea in the Carabao Cup, before a league fixture against Burnley.

Forest will then face Real Betis in their first Europa League clash, as Postecoglou once again attempts to tackle the competition he so historically won last year with Spurs.