THE PEREIRA SURVIVAL MISSION:
Tactical Shifts, Board Expectations & Finding Stability

Nottingham Forest have endured a carousel of managers in a turbulent 2025-26 season, with the threat of relegation still looming large despite a hugely important wins over Tottenham Hotspur and Burnley, and an excellent draw with Aston Villa – who they will also face in the Europa League semi-finals. The Tricky Trees made history when Vitor Pereira was handed an 18-month deal last month, becoming the first Premier League club to have as many as four permanent manager in a single campaign. Nuno Espirito Santo was dismissed despite leading Forest to European football, and Ange Postecoglou endured a dismal short stint. Sean Dyche was hired to lead the fight against the drop, but he too failed to convince Evangelos Marinakis that he was the man for the job. So, those paths led to Pereira, and he will be savvy enough to know that any dip in form will not be met favourably by the Forest hierarchy. There had been some talk that some Nottingham Forest fans were already unhappy with Pereira, though the fact they are still in the hunt for the Europa League and Premier League survival has surely won over any dissenting voices.

Which other managers have been linked with Nottingham Forest?

Right now, there are no open betting markets to be the next Nottingham Forest manager, but it never feels more than a couple of bad results away from re-opening.

Pereira was appointed in the middle of February, tasked with steering Forest away from the relegation zone and competing for glory in the Europa League. At the time, he was such an overwhelming favourite to replace Dyche that the market was barely opened – but here is who else was in the frame, according to the bookies, at that time.

NFFC Managerial Odds Before Pereira Appointment

MARKET CLOSED

THOMAS FRANK

4/1

MAURICIO POCHETTINO

5/1

ROBERTO DE ZERBI

11/2

ROBBIE KEANE 11/2

OLE G. SOLSKJAER 7/1

CRAIG BELLAMY 15/2

RUBEN AMORIM 9/1

FRANK LAMPARD 10/1

ROBERTO MARTINEZ 10/1

ERIK TEN HAG 11/1

GARETH SOUTHGATE 11/1

STEVE COOPER 11/1

Legacy Archive: These odds represent the betting market as of February 2026, prior to the official appointment of Vítor Pereira. The market is now closed.

Thomas Frank was the second favourite, but having just left Tottenham Hotspur was never really a viable option. Many of the other candidates, such as Mauricio Pochettino and Roberto De Zerbi, always appeared a tad ambitious with the latter now taking over at Spurs, while Steve Cooper’s return would have been a romantic one, albeit unlikely.

Nottingham Forest managerial records: Last five bosses before Pereira

All Competitions Win Records

Last 5 Permanent Nottingham Forest Managers

Manager	Games	Wins	Win %
Sean Dyche	18	6	33.3%
Ange Postecoglou	8	0	0.0%
Nuno Espírito Santo	73	28	38.4%
Steve Cooper	108	42	43.3%
Chris Hughton	53	14	26.4%

Note: Figures based on permanent appointments only; Steven Reid (Caretaker) omitted. Steve Cooper’s record remains the highest win percentage for a permanent Forest boss in the 2020s.