Nottingham Forest Axe Sean Dyche as 'Strong Candidate' Emerges for Fourth Managerial Shake-Up This Season
Nottingham Forest have allegedly begun discussions with ex-Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Vitor Pereira following the announcement of Sean Dyche's dismissal in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Dyche had been in position for merely 114 days and secured impressive victories against teams like Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, while also advancing to the Europa League knockout rounds. Nevertheless, Forest experienced a decline in performance during recent weeks. They remain without a win in February, surrendering points to a struggling Crystal Palace before falling to fellow relegation candidates Leeds United.
Wednesday evening delivered a scoreless draw with bottom-placed Wolves, a match where Forest managed 35 attempts—the highest total by any Premier League team without finding the net since 2016. This became the breaking point.
Three hours following the final whistle, thirty minutes past midnight U.K. time, Forest released an extremely concise statement containing merely 57 words. "Nottingham Forest Football Club can confirm that Sean Dyche has been relieved of his duties as head coach," it stated.
"We would like to thank Sean and his staff for their efforts during their time at the club and we wish them the best of luck for the future. We will be making no further comment at this time."
The hunt for Dyche's replacement, who would become Forest's fourth manager of the 2025–26 season, is already underway.
Vitor Pereira Emerging as Nottingham Forest's Standout Candidate
Vitor Pereira Emerging as Nottingham Forest's Standout Candidate
The season's opening weekend, when Forest secured a 3–1 victory over Brentford under Nuno Espírito Santo's guidance, seems like a distant memory. The highly regarded Portuguese manager would only oversee the first three Premier League fixtures before his deteriorating relationship with club owner Evangelos Marinakis resulted in his exit in September.
Ange Postecoglou was quickly brought in as an unexpected replacement. A strong proponent of a vastly different football philosophy, the former Tottenham Hotspur manager immediately suffered defeat to Arsenal in his first match. This established the pattern. From Postecoglou's eight games in command, he lost six and drew two. His meager stint of just 39 days represents the second-shortest managerial tenure in Premier League history.
Dyche survived nearly four months. Throughout his period managing his childhood club, the former Forest academy prospect accumulated 22 points across 18 Premier League fixtures, ranking as the 12th-best performance among all teams in the league. However, Dyche left the club with Forest sitting in 17th position, merely three points ahead of an improving West Ham United in the relegation zone.
2025–26 Nottingham Forest Managers
2025–26 Nottingham Forest Managers
Manager | 2025–26 Games | 2025–26 Wins |
|---|---|---|
Nuno Espírito Santo | 3 | 1 |
Ange Postecoglou | 8 | 0 |
Sean Dyche | 25 | 10 |
In their quest for an extraordinary fourth permanent manager within the same season, Forest reportedly view Pereira as a "strong candidate," initially disclosed by The Athletic.
The Portuguese tactician guided Wolves away from relegation last season, creating passionate support among fans by visiting local establishments following victories. "First the points, then the points" became Pereira's signature phrase.
The atmosphere deteriorated this season when Pereira departed the club in November after managing no victories in his opening 10 matches. He has remained unemployed since then.
Pereira, who understands Marinakis's distinctive approach from his time at Olympiacos, the Greek club where Marinakis also holds majority ownership, is currently in talks with Forest regarding a possible appointment, according to BBC Sport.
After being eliminated from the FA Cup by Wrexham in the third round, Forest will not play again until the opening leg of their Europa League playoff against Turkish side Fenerbahçe on Thursday, Feb. 19.