Forest in advanced talks to appoint manager Dyche

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Nottingham Forest is currently engaged in advanced discussions to hire Sean Dyche as their new manager.

Dyche is the leading candidate to take over as head coach of Forest following the dismissal of Ange Postecoglou, with the Premier League side aiming to finalize an agreement by Monday.

Postecoglou was let go just 17 minutes after Forest lost 3-0 to Chelsea in their Premier League match on Saturday.

At this moment, Forest sits in 18th place on the league table, having secured only one victory in eight league matches during a tumultuous season.

Over the past 24 hours, Dyche has had constructive conversations, and sources close to the situation have informed BBC Sport that his prospects of landing the role have improved considerably over the weekend.

Roberto Mancini has also had talks with Forest representatives, while Marco Silva, the manager of Fulham, is respected but is currently under contract.

There is a hefty release clause in Silva's contract that has come into play, especially considering that Forest has already invested in sacking Postecoglou and Nuno Espirito Santo this season.

It is also understood that whether Silva would be willing to leave Fulham during the season is a point of contention.

Reports suggest that Dyche is now the sole candidate, given the challenges in hiring Silva, and the initial interest in Mancini appears to have diminished.

Forest's managerial carousel

Owner Evangelos Marinakis dismissed Nuno after just three matches in the season and then appointed Postecoglou as his successor.

The Australian did not achieve a victory, and his firing - just 39 days after his appointment on September 9 - resulted in the shortest permanent managerial tenure in Premier League history.

Dyche was previously associated with Forest as a youth team player during the late 1980s when Brian Clough was the manager, but he did not play in the first team.

Since being dismissed by Everton in January after nearly two years at the helm, Dyche has not held another managerial position.

During his time as Everton's boss, Dyche recorded 21 wins, 31 losses, and 23 draws from 75 Premier League matches, leading the club to finishes of 17th and 15th.

Before that, Dyche spent nearly ten years managing Burnley from October 2012 to April 2022, achieving promotion to the top division twice and leading the Clarets to their first European qualification since 1967.

He also managed Watford in the 2011-2012 season but lost his job due to a change in ownership.

A Kettering native, Dyche played exclusively as a defender in lower divisions, accumulating over 500 appearances for teams such as Chesterfield, Bristol City, Millwall, Watford, and Northampton.

Why Dyche is a suitable match for Forest

In contrast to Ange Postecoglou’s hiring, Sean Dyche’s potential appointment at Nottingham Forest is logical, as his tactical approach has traditionally aligned more closely with the style of football that Nuno Espirito Santo employed to bring European competition back to the City Ground.

Without a pre-season allowing Postecoglou to introduce his distinct football philosophies and with a barrage of matches arriving rapidly at the start of his time in charge, the Australian found it challenging to assert his influence on a team accustomed to a specific style of play.

The selection of another pragmatic manager, akin to Nuno, is expected to bring stability and align well with Forest's squad, which demonstrated strong defensive capabilities and proved to be lethal during counter-attacks in the 2024-25 season.

The illustration below illustrates how both Nuno and Dyche's teams willingly relinquish possession, permitting the opponent to control the ball before launching quick counter-attacks upon regaining it. This approach contrasts sharply with the methods Postecoglou employed at Tottenham.