Nuno Espirito Santo left Nottingham Forest in September 2025 to start a very chaotic period for the Reds.

Espirito Santo led Forest to seventh place in 2024/25, but some interference on the transfer front saw the head coach endure a torrid relationship with Edu, and the pair fell out.

A number of players were signed under Espirito Santo’s tutelage, some who proved successful and others who just didn’t really get a look in.

Now, one player who Espirito Santo actually binned at two clubs has enjoyed a very positive final say over the head coach, and it’s fair to say he was extremely content on Saturday night.

James Ward-Prowse ridicules Nuno Espirito Santo

Ward-Prowse didn’t play many games for Forest, with Espirito Santo sometimes even leaving him out of the matchday squad completely during his short loan spell.

The midfielder played just 10 games for Forest and created one assist during his time at the City Ground. At West Ham, he made 75 appearances, but the majority of those came under managers that weren’t Espirito Santo.

Now back at Southampton, Ward-Prowse was asked by Troy Deeney after the Saints won 3-2 at the London Stadium whether or not the victory felt a little bit sweeter because it came against Espirito Santo.

He said: “I’m not going to lie, of course it feels good. Personally, you come into the game wanting to play well, first of all for yourself and for the team, obviously, but yeah, it was a fantastic win.”

Ward-Prowse sees Southampton as his club, and he will want to take the Saints back to the Premier League and earn one final crack at the top flight himself.

The player’s time at Forest won’t live long in the memory but it’s fair to say that he richly enjoyed turning up at his former club on Saturday and sending the travelling fans home satisfied after a 3-2 victory.