Vitor Pereira is reportedly close to being named Nottingham Forest manager.placeholder image
Vitor Pereira is reportedly close to being named Nottingham Forest manager. | Getty Images
Nottingham Forest are close to appointing Vitor Pereira as their next head coach - but have they made the right choice?
Nottingham Forest are close to appointing Vitor Pereira as their new head coach according to reports, following the sacking of Sean Dyche on Wednesday night.
Sky Sports have reported earlier on Thursday afternoon that Pereira has ‘agreed’ to succeed Dyche at the City Ground, with final details of his appointment yet to be concluded – but it is said to be ‘almost certain’ that Pereira will become Forest’s new head coach.
Pereira was sacked from his role at Wolves in November after leading the Molineux outfit to one of the worst starts in Premier League history, sat bottom of the table with just two points before he was dismissed to be replaced by Rob Edwards.
This came after Pereira had kept Wolves up the previous season, inspiring a stunning run of form in the spring as his side comfortably avoided the drop. His difficulties this season, though, beg the question over whether he is the right man to save Forest at this moment in time, sat 17th in the table and just three points above the drop zone.
Marco Silva should have been the dream candidate for Nottingham Forest
Though it appears likely that a decision has already been made over who will take over at the City Ground, we feel Forest may have missed a trick by not going back in for Fulham boss Marco Silva.
The Tricky Trees have been cited as admiring the Portuguese in the past and amidst his uncertain contract situation at Craven Cottage – his deal expires at the end of the season and there remains a sense that he would be open to a move elsewhere – Forest may have been smart to use Silva’s previous ties with owner Evangelos Marinakis to lure Silva away from west London.
Such a move would, of course, have posed its difficulties. Silva is under contract at Fulham, who are enjoying a successful season and are 12th place in the league, looking upwards rather than down. But with a European push unlikely and Forest offering the Cottagers the opportunity to receive compensation for their much-loved boss rather than losing him for free in the summer, there is a world in which this move could have worked for all parties.
Silva is arguably a more Premier League-proven manager than Pereira and there would be considerable confidence in the Fulham boss – who managed Olympiacos under Marinakis in the past – steering Forest clear of the drop zone. In the long-term if they stay up, the Reds have ambitions of pushing for Europe once again and could offer Silva significant career progression over comparatively stagnant Fulham in that sense. It appears, however, that Pereira is set to take over at the City Ground.
Will Pereira be a success at Forest?
Whether former Wolves boss Pereira will be a success at Nottingham Forest appears somewhat difficult to call at present. Because which version of his time at Wolves will Forest see in an all-important coming few weeks and months – the impressive escape of last season, or the form of earlier this term which saw Wolves rooted to the bottom of the table?
Pereira also previously worked under Marinakis at Olympiacos and will feel he has a significantly stronger squad of players at Forest than he did earlier this season at Molineux, but he will need to get a tune out of them quickly.
Dyche was able to grind out results without ever truly making the most of the attacking talent available to him, and that may ultimately have been a factor in what got him sacked. Along with the fact that West Ham United appear to be improving by the week and the gap between the two clubs is becoming increasingly smaller. This managerial appointment is a huge one for Forest, and it is crucial that they get it right.
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