Out with the Nuno, in with the Ange: What It Means for FPL

Breaking news out of Nottingham: Nuno Espírito Santo has been sacked by Nottingham Forest following a public fallout with owner Evangelos Marinakis (Sky Sports).

This comes after months of uncertainty behind the scenes, despite Nuno shaping Forest into one of the Premier League’s most organised and resilient sides. For FPL managers, the big question is: how does this affect our teams?

Defensive Assets: A Step Back?

Under Nuno, Forest weren’t the most exciting attacking side, but they were incredibly difficult to break down. They regularly needed just one or two goals to secure results, thanks to a solid defensive structure with the likes of Aina, Milenkovic and Murillo.

Forest are set to appoint Ange Postecoglou as head coach (Sky Sports). From an FPL perspective, this is bad news for Forest defenders in our opinion. Ange is known for attacking, no nonsense football but often leaves his backline exposed – great for neutrals, not so much for us clean sheet hunters.

This puts defenders like Murillo, Milenković, and Aina on shaky ground long term. At their price points, there are plenty of alternatives such as Livramento, Chalobah, Senesi, Guéhi and Lacroix who may offer better value and more importantly, reliability.

Goalkeeper Matz Sels, however, remains a fine hold for us, he should still rack up plenty of saves with Forest likely conceding more shots under Ange.

Attacking Assets: A Boost in Value?

While defenders take a hit, this could be the start of something for Forest attackers. Players like Chris Wood, Morgan Gibbs-White and Callum Hudson-Odoi become much more interesting under an attacking-minded coach. Postecoglou’s system usually encourages high-risk, high-reward football – perfect for FPL upside.

Forest haven’t exactly been prolific, but with Burnley and Sunderland coming up in Gameweeks 5 and 6, there’s real potential for attacking returns. We’re unsure of a new manager bounce, as we think Nuno has performed brilliantly, so morale in the camp could take a hit.

Fixture Outlook

GW4: Arsenal (A): A tough fixture regardless of who’s in charge. Most managers will bench Forest players here.

GW5–6: Burnley (H), Sunderland (H): Excellent fixtures. We’d expect Forest to score and possibly win both, again, regardless of who’s in charge. Clean sheets may be at risk though.

GW7–11: Newcastle, Chelsea, Bournemouth, Man Utd, Leeds, Liverpool – A brutal run that makes Forest assets short-term plays only.

FastTrackFPL Verdict

For FPL managers, the advice is simple:

Keep Sels – safe as a budget keeper with saves potential.

Be cautious on defenders – too much uncertainty under Ange, and better value exists elsewhere.

Short-term punt on attackers – Wood, Gibbs-White and Hudson-Odoi could shine in GWs 5 and 6, but you’ll likely want to sell ahead of GW7.

Forest may yet thrive under Postecoglou, but FPL managers should approach with short-term thinking. Use the next two fixtures as a testing ground, then reassess before the difficult run.