Nottingham Forest have “initially backed” one of Sean Dyche’s rivals in the race to replace Ange Postecoglou at the City Ground, according to reports.
On Tuesday morning, Forest manager confirmed the appointment of Dyche on a contract until 2027.
In his announcement, Forrest revealed who will be working with him and why he was appointed. A club statement said: “Dyche will be joined by the experienced coaching team of former Nottingham Forest players Ian Woan and Steve Stone, who both made over 400 appearances for the Reds in the 1990s.”
“A respected and experienced Premier League manager, Dyche brings the perfect blend of personality, tactical acumen and track record to lead the club into its next chapter.”
The search for a third permanent manager for the 2025/26 season is now complete, after parting ways with Postecoglou last weekend.
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Postecoglou had a disastrous reign at Notum Forest as he replaced Nuno Espirito Santo, failing to win a single game in the eight games he was in charge of across all competitions.
The final straw for the former Celtic and Spurs manager came in Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at Chelsea, with controversial owner Evangelos Marinakis leaving the ground before the final whistle to formally announce his departure as head coach.
Following Postecoglou’s departure, it quickly became clear that Dyche, former Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini and Fulham manager Marco Silva were the frontrunners to take over as Forest manager.
Silva is known to have had a strong relationship with Marinakis since they worked together at Olympiakos, but The Athletic claims that “a £15 million release clause in his contract was considered outrageous”.
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The newspaper claimed that Mancini was “the first person they liked after Postecoglou left the club”.
It was noted that there had been “contact” with Mancini, with Forest being “attracted by his track record of producing teams with strong defense and a disciplined outlook”, while Mancini was to be “appointed as a statement manager who could lead the team to success in Europe”.
However, Forest ultimately made a U-turn because while “their investigation would have revealed the challenges associated with using a 60-year-old Italian,” he “ultimately felt that Dyche, who often has his arm around a player’s shoulders, was the best fit as he sought much-needed stability.”
Dyche has also been given assurances that he has a long future at Forest, who view him as a “long-term appointment” which “eliminates the possibility of giving the job to someone else on a short-term basis before pursuing Silva next summer”.
