Nottingham Forest Sack Sean Dyche After Just 114 Days, Open Talks With Vitor Pereira – Arise News

By Reporter Ben On Feb 12, 2026

Nottingham Forest have sacked Sean Dyche after just 114 days in charge and opened talks with former Wolves manager Vitor Pereira to replace him.

Forest were held to a goalless draw at home by bottom club Wolves on Wednesday, leaving them just three points above the Premier League relegation zone with 12 games remaining. Sources told BBC Sport that Pereira, 57, is a leading contender, having previously worked under Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis at Greek club Olympiacos.

ADVERT

Dyche’s departure means Forest are searching for their fourth permanent head coach of the season, following the sackings of Ange Postecoglou in October and Nuno Espirito Santo in September.

“Nottingham Forest Football Club can confirm that Sean Dyche has been relieved of his duties as head coach,” a club statement read. “We would like to thank Sean and his staff for their efforts during their time at the club and we wish them the best of luck for the future. We will be making no further comment at this time.”

Dyche had taken over at the City Ground with Forest 18th in the table after a poor start to the season. After a 2-0 defeat by Bournemouth in his first match, he led Forest to four wins and one draw in their next seven games, guiding them out of the drop zone.

A run of four consecutive defeats followed, but Dyche’s side responded with a four-match unbeaten run, including a 2-1 win at West Ham and a goalless draw with leaders Arsenal. However, the improved form of Leeds United and West Ham left Forest mired in the relegation battle.

Following Forest’s draw with Wolves, Dyche acknowledged the difficult situation before his dismissal. He said: “The owner has been fair to me, without a shadow of a doubt. If anyone chooses to change in football now, that’s their decision. We’ve all seen it. People can demand change, and then it’s always whether they change or not. If the owner wants to make a change then that’s up to him, and that’s the way football is now, that’s just the reality of it. I understand the noise here has changed significantly since the last few games.”

Dyche, who had a history with Forest as a youth player, previously managed Everton and Burnley, achieving promotion to the Premier League twice with the Clarets and guiding them to Europe for the first time since 1967.

The season has been a turbulent one for Forest, who are also competing in the Europa League knockout phase against Turkish side Fenerbahce this month, after finishing 13th in their group stage. They have been eliminated from both domestic cups, losing in the EFL Cup to Swansea under Postecoglou and exiting the FA Cup on penalties to Wrexham under Dyche.

Despite stabilising the club early on, Dyche’s side won just two of their past 10 league games, prompting a loss of confidence from both the board and fans. Former players and pundits had urged patience. Speaking on Match of the Day before Dyche’s dismissal, ex-England striker Alan Shearer said: “I think with his know-how and his experience in the Premier League, I would without a doubt stick with Sean.” Former Tottenham midfielder Danny Murphy added: “I think for this battle at the bottom you wouldn’t want a better manager than him. He’s been there, done it, he stays calm. I think they’d be crazy to get rid of him.”

Forest now face the challenge of appointing a new manager with the club deep in a relegation battle, having spent £180m last season with European football returning to the City Ground for the first time since 1995-96. Vitor Pereira, credited with keeping Wolves in the Premier League last season, has emerged as the frontrunner to replace Dyche.

Faridah Abdulkadiri