Another intriguing manager held a real interest in the Nottingham Forest vacancy before Evangelos Marinakis opted for Vitor Pereira, according to a new report.
Nottingham Forest appoint Pereira as fourth new manager of the season
News emerged yesterday that the Portuguese put pen to paper on a Forest contract which will run until the end of next season, provided Marinakis doesn’t pull the trigger before then.
Pereira’s appointment was confirmed Friday afternoon following Sean Dyche’s brutal 114-day tenure which ended during Thursday’s early hours.
The former Burnley boss departed after Wednesday’s dismal goalless draw against bottom-placed Wolves, a match where Forest squandered 35 attempts without finding the net.
The 57-year-old arrives with firefighting credentials perfectly suited to Forest’s predicament.
Last season, he rescued Wolves from seemingly certain Championship football, taking over with just nine points from 16 matches before orchestrating survival with games to spare.
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However, his subsequent Molineux sacking after zero wins from 10 matches this campaign raises questions about his sustainability beyond immediate crisis management.
Marinakis’ decision-making process proved lightning-quick, with an agreement reportedly reached before Dyche’s official dismissal.
The owner’s familiarity with Pereira from their successful 2015 Olympiakos collaboration, where they delivered the Greek double, clearly expedited negotiations.
|
Vitor Pereira – Most Prolific Players at Wolves |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Player |
Apps |
Goals + Assists |
|
Jorgen Strand Larsen |
32 |
11 + 2 |
|
Matheus Cunha |
19 |
9 + 3 |
|
Marshall Munetsi |
28 |
4 + 2 |
|
Rayan Ait-Nouri |
24 |
2 + 4 |
|
Jean-Ricner Bellegrade |
36 |
1 + 5 |
|
Data via Transfermarkt |
||
Sources indicate senior players welcomed the change after growing increasingly frustrated with Dyche’s rigorous training demands and tactical limitations which left them physically exhausted during matches.
Forest sit 17th with 27 points, merely three clear of the drop zone following two victories from their last 10 fixtures.
Pereira inherits a squad boasting genuine quality. Morgan Gibbs-White, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Elliot Anderson to name a few, yet they are chronically underperforming relative to their talent level.
His baptism of fire arrives on Thursday when Forest travel to Istanbul and face Fenerbahçe, coincidentally Pereira’s former employers, in the Europa League knockout play-off first leg.
Liverpool follow next Sunday before a gruelling 12-match survival scrap begins properly.
Whether Pereira lasts beyond this relegation dogfight remains uncertain, but Marinakis desperately hopes his rescue specialist can replicate last season’s Wolves heroics at the City Ground.
Igor Tudor was keen on Nottingham Forest job before Tottenham move
Interestingly, Pereira wasn’t believed to be their first choice, as reports suggest Mariankis was very keen on a reunion with Marco Silva following their own Olympiacos spell together.
According to TEAMtalk and journalist Graeme Bailey, now-interim Tottenham boss Igor Tudor also threw his hat in the ring.
The 47-year-old has since accepted the Spurs hot seat on a short-term basis until June, before the likes of Mauricio Pochettino and Roberto De Zerbi contend for the role.
However, Bailey reports that Tudor was interested in taking the Forest job before the north Londoners came calling, and he has equally impressive firefighting credentials.
The Croatian rescued Udinese from relegation not once, but twice, and managed to salvage Juventus’ campaign last season by guiding them to Champions League qualification.
He did a similar job at Lazio after they sacked Maurizio Sarri in 2024, spearheading them to Europa League place after a torrid start to that season, but he’s never lasted longer than 70 games in a single role.
His longest ever stint came back in his homeland at Hadjuk Split, but in every other job he’s held, Tudor has never lasted two seasons.
According to Serie A expert James Horncastle, Tudor fancies himself as a man for the ‘big stage’, and that is perhaps why he’s chose a move to Spurs over Forest.
Marinakis wanted ‘master’ Premier League manager at Nottingham Forest over Pereira
The Tricky Trees have been considering more than one new boss.