Head coach Nuno Espirito Santo was fired by Nottingham Forest early on Tuesday, becoming the first English Premier League manager this season to lose his job.

"The club thanks Nuno for his contribution during a very successful era," said a club statement released just after midnight.

The Portuguese coach had been in charge for 21 months at the City Ground, but two weeks ago said his relationship with the club's owner, the Greek billionaire Evangelos Marinakis, had deteriorated.