Nottingham Forest Shatter Premier League Records with Groundbreaking Managerial Hire

Nottingham Forest has made Premier League history by becoming the first club to employ four different permanent managers within a single season after confirming Vítor Pereira's appointment.

The Portuguese tactician's arrival was confirmed on Sunday, with the vocal coach receiving a deal running until summer 2027 to succeed the recently dismissed Sean Dyche. Nuno Espírito Santo managed just the opening three fixtures of this campaign before disagreements with Forest's global football director Edu Gaspar and owner Evangelos Marinakis resulted in his exit.

Ange Postecoglou stormed into the City Ground during September but was dismissed two weeks prior to Halloween after failing to secure victory in any of his eight games in charge. Sean Dyche collected 22 points across his 18 Premier League matches in the Forest hot seat, though his inability to generate consistent progress led to an immediate end to his Nottingham tenure.

Pereira now faces the challenging task of navigating the precarious situation above the River Trent. The ex-Olympiacos manager understands Marinakis's approach having previously worked under the Greek club owner, though his Premier League track record remains inconsistent.

Nottingham Forest is delighted to confirm that Vítor Pereira has been appointed as Head Coach on an 18-month deal.

Pereira began his managerial career in his homeland, Portugal, in 2002. After gaining extensive experience across the country, he took over Porto in 2011, where a… pic.twitter.com/nnHmRKPoLU

Pereira inherited a Wolverhampton Wanderers team in December 2024 that occupied 19th position in the Premier League standings, five points from safety. Back-to-back victories at the start of his reign provided essential momentum before a sequence of six consecutive wins from mid-March through late April secured survival.

Nevertheless, Wolves' 3–0 triumph against Leicester City on April 26 marked the final Premier League victory under Pereira's leadership. The Portuguese manager earned just three points from his subsequent 14 league matches, leading to his dismissal in November.

Forest currently occupy a dangerous position near the relegation zone, sitting just one spot and three points ahead of West Ham United in 18th place. Adding complexity to Pereira's challenge are the Europa League knockout stages, beginning with his inaugural Forest match against Turkish side Fenerbahçe on Thursday. His first Premier League encounter welcomes Liverpool three days afterward.

Nottingham Forest's 2025–26 Managers

Nottingham Forest's 2025–26 Managers

Every Premier League Club to Have Four Managers in the Same Season

Every Premier League Club to Have Four Managers in the Same Season

While Forest represents the first club to feature four different permanent managers, the ruthless hiring and firing culture of England's elite division has witnessed nine other teams utilize four coaches when including temporary and caretaker appointments. Eight faced subsequent relegation.

Chelsea stands as the sole exception to this pattern.

Throughout the initial turbulent season under BlueCo ownership in 2022–23, the new leadership dismissed Champions League winner Thomas Tuchel in favor of the expensive Graham Potter signing. When the costly experiment with the former Brighton & Hove Albion manager failed, his previous assistant Bruno Saltor took charge for one disappointing scoreless stalemate against Liverpool before club icon Frank Lampard guided the team through the remaining campaign that concluded with 12th position.

Any finish above 18th place would be gratefully accepted by Forest this season.

* Caretaker/interim. Stats via the Premier League.