Pereira could turn big-money Nottingham Forest star into his new Cunha

Nottingham Forest‘s circus of a season drags on. However, Sean Dyche‘s tenure doesn’t, with the 54-year-old sacked by Evangelos Marinakis after Wednesday’s goalless draw with bottom-of-the-table Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Marinakis has already settled on his ideal successor, with former Wolves boss Vitor Pereira having emerged as the frontrunner after a period of unemployment, with reporter Ben Jacobs confirming the move is “almost agreed“.

The thread that binds all of Forest’s problems together is Marinakis. He has overseen great successes at the City Ground, but last year’s euphoria has been far removed from the struggles of the current campaign.

With in-form West Ham United and Burnley, who won at Crystal Palace, creeping up on the Tricky Trees, it’s crucial that Edu and co get their next managerial appointment right.

And if it is to be Pereira, it might actually end up being a shrewd one.

Why Pereira could be a good appointment

Pereira was dismissed by Wolves at the start of the season, but after selling Matheus Cunha to Manchester United and Rayan Ait Nouri to Manchester City, the Old Gold were on the back foot.

And Pereira had made a strong start to life at Molineux in 2024/25, with pundit Alan Shearer even remarking that he had “done an incredible job” for Wolves, helping them steer away from relegation danger and lifting “the whole atmosphere” at the club.

While some have reservations over the Portuguese’s applicability, he has a reputation for establishing good relationships with his players, and in this, he could take a leaf from Nuno’s playbook at the City Ground.

The Iberian tactician oversaw a six-game winning run in the Premier League for Wolves last season, and that ability to reshape a relegation battle will no doubt have factored into Marinakis’ thinking.

And so would the fact that Pereira’s system gave rise to Wolves’ attackers’ fluency,

Where Pereira could find his new Cunha at Forest

Cunha is one of the most talented forwards in the Premier League, and his form last season proved a major difference-maker for Wolves as they staved off the threat of relegation.

13 months ago, in fact, Forest were actually primed to launch a club-record bid for the Brazilian, but they didn’t manage to secure his signature.

Cunha’s off the cards, for sure, but Pereira could find his new version of the silky forward in Morgan Gibbs-White, with the talented playmaker praised for his ability to perform “magic tricks” on the ball by reporter Jamie Martin.

Gibbs-White has struggled to replicate last season’s form since the summer, but then it’s hardly his fault that there has been so much upheaval in Nottingham.

Even so, the Three Lions man has created 36 chances in the Premier League, putting him in the top 10% for that statistic. Furthermore, he’s scored six goals from his advanced midfield role.

While Cunha and Gibbs-White are different stylistic players, both boast ingenuity when on the ball, and both offer something unique in attack.

In this regard, Pereira’s functional build-up play and emphasis on a number ten could help him dovetail into the Forest system while rekindling the kind of form that drew such plaudits toward Gibbs-White last season, when he registered 15 direct goal involvements and created ten big chances in the Premier League.

Praised as a “monster in transition” by one analyst, Gibbs-White’s potency in and around the final third has not been utilised effectively this season, and if Forest are to thrive under Pereira’s wing, he will need to maximise the England international’s skillset and forge a path back up to higher ground in the Premier League.

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