Sean Dyche sacked: Three reasons for Nottingham Forest axing announced with instant favourite named

Nottingham Forest have sacked Sean Dyche in the wake of Wednesday’s disappointing 0-0 draw at home to Wolves, with a trusted source sharing three reasons why Evangelos Marinakis has chosen to wield the axe and with the club weighing up two instant replacements.

We exclusively revealed on Wednesday morning that a failure to beat the Premier League’s bottom side at the City Ground on Wednesday evening could prove the end of Dyche’s reign – and that’s exactly how it played out as owner Marinakis decided to wield the axe for the fourth time this season.

Dyche , who won was only appointed in October, won 10 of his 25 games at the helm, though only two have arrived since the turn of the year in the Premier League , leaving Nottingham Fores t 17th in the table, just three points better off than West Ham, now managed by the man who started the season as the manager at the City Ground, Nuno Espirito Santo.

However, as trusted sources close to the situation revealed to us on Wednesday morning, Dyche was skating on very thin ice, and a failure to see off Wolves was likely to bring about the end of his reign.

Forest confirmed his sacking in a short statement just after midnight, when they posted on X (12.31am): ‘Nottingham Forest Football Club can confirm that Sean Dyche has been relieved of his duties as head coach.

‘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.’

Now, The Telegraph’s John Percy has listed three reasons why the axe has fallen at the City Ground, and meaning that whoever is chosen to replace Dyche will become their unprecedented fourth manager of the season.

And according to Percy , Marinakis decided to pull the plug based on recent results, fears over a disconnect with the players in the squad, and an alarm over a downward spiral in performances.

Just as Percy was announcing why the axe had fallen on Dyche, who had reportedly been forced into showdown talks with Marinakis straight after the full-time whistle, one major name was establishing himself as the frontrunner for the job…

According to The Athletic, Marinakis wants to install a new manager as a matter of urgency and had already been making moves behind the scenes to land on a replacement.

To that end, they report that former Wolves boss Vitor Pereira has quickly been identified as a strong candidate to become their fourth manager of the season at the City Ground.

The 57-year-old Portuguese coach has been out of work since he was axed by Wolves in November, leaving the Old Gold rooted to the bottom of the Premier League after a failure to win any of their first 10 league games of the season.

However, the Portuguese has lots of credit in the bank for saving Wolves from relegation a year prior, helping them enjoy a significant improvement after he arrived at Molineux in December 2024.

That said, he is not the only name in the frame, either, with Ivan Juric’s agent offering the Croatian to Marinakis, as well as his compatriot, Igor Tudor, also under consideration.

As it stands, though, Pereira’s experience at saving Wolves last season could prove influential as Marinakis considers an appointment through to the end of the season.

Beyond that, the same source who broke the news that Dyche was on thin ice on Wednesday, has also revealed that the owner’s dream appointment is actually Fulham boss Marco Silva .

Silva has yet to commit to a new deal at Craven Cottage, despite weeks of negotiations; a development that has given Marinakis growing confidence he could lure him back under his leadership.

The pair know each other well from their time together at Olympiakos, where Silva delivered a record-breaking Greek Super League triumph and forged a strong relationship with the Forest owner. That connection has never faded, and Marinakis believes Silva is the ideal figure to stabilise Forest and finally deliver the long-term project he envisages.

Fulham, however, remain determined to keep their manager and are desperate for the 48-year-old, who boasts an impressive 43.93% win percentage record at Craven Cottage.

While there are many twists and turns to come, the revival of West Ham, under Nuno, and Leeds, who beat Forest at Elland Road on Friday night, will have been giving Forest supporters some uncomfortable nights.

And were they to suffer relegation at the end of the season, Marinakis knows he will be powerless to prevent two of his side’s leading lights from departing at the season’s end.

One of those in significant demand is Elliot Anderson , who has earned England recognition over the last 12 months.

It’s no secret that Manchester City are preparing to launch a big-money summer move for Anderson, and TEAMtalk can reveal his stance on moving to the Etihad if the Cityzens replace Pep Guardiola with one of two elite coaches.

Any deal is expected to cost upwards of £80m.

As for Gibbs-White, he could also be heading for the exit door this summer, with TEAMtalk sources indicating that Aston Villa are showing a keen interest in the England international and are considering a bold approach.

Tottenham, who almost signed the 26-year-old last summer, also remain keen.