Why Nottingham Forest moved so early to agree Vitor Pereira deal
Nottingham Forest are closing in on the appointment of Vitor Pereira just days after their decision to sack Sean Dyche.
Dyche oversaw a 0-0 draw against Pereira‘s former side Wolves at the City Ground, and his failure to pull away from the relegation battle was his downfall.
Pereira will be Forest‘s fourth permanent manager of the season after agreeing terms but there is hope he will be the one to keep them in the Premier League.
As I revealed on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Transfer Insider podcast, the 57-year-old’s role in leading Wolves to safety last season is a key factor in the decision.
Meanwhile, Pereira is well known to owner Evangelos Marinakis, having worked under him during his time at Olympiacos, which should sweeten the deal.
Nottingham Forest close in on Vitor Pereira appointment
Reports have suggested Pereira has agreed to join Forest, with it now just a matter of time until his appointment, and he will have just 12 games to change their fortunes.
The Tricky Trees currently sit just three points above West Ham in the relegation zone, but have seen Nuno Espirito Santo’s side pick up ten points from their last five games.
Other potential rivals including the likes of Leeds and Crystal Palace have also picked up important wins in recent weeks, but there is hope Pereira will change the situation.
Speaking on the Transfer Insider podcast, I explained: “I feel a bit of sympathy for Sean Dyche right now, but it does look like Vitor Pereira is the leading contender and there is an agreement in place, which would have been before Dyche was sacked.
“He’d be coming into a similar situation at Forest that he came into at Wolves last season, with the club mired in a relegation fight, and he did a great job there to get Wolves out of trouble.
“It obviously didn’t work out for him at Wolves this season, but he’s got that Premier League experience.
“He’s got that association with Marinakis having worked with him at Olympiacos.
“So with Pereira out of work and the links to Marinakis, it would be an easy fit you would imagine for Nottingham Forest to bring him in.
“They felt they needed to make that change to get them out of that relegation battle.”
Marco Silva disappointed again after Pereira appointment
Pereira was not the only contender for the Forest job, despite quickly emerging as the favourite, with Fulham boss Marco Silva also a long-term target.
Former Man United chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider shortly after Dyche’s dismissal that Silva would be interested in the Forest job.
This is not the first time he has been tipped with a move to the City Ground, having been linked following the dismissals of Nuno and Ange Postecoglou earlier this season.
However, Silva now looks set to miss out again giving the timing of the opportunity, with his contract at Fulham set to run until the end of the season.
The Portuguese boss has been widely tipped to leave Craven Cottage in the summer, but he may find his potential pathway to Forest is now blocked.
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