Nottingham Forest has officially announced the appointment of Vitor Pereira as their new head coach, signing an 18-month deal that extends until the summer of 2027. The 57-year-old Portuguese manager takes the helm just three days after Sean Dyche's departure, becoming Forest's fourth boss during the turbulent 2025/26 campaign, following Nuno Espirito Santo, Ange Postecoglou, and Dyche.

Pereira's immediate and critical task is to steer Nottingham Forest away from the Premier League relegation zone. The club currently sits precariously just three points above the bottom three, having won only once in its last five league games. His arrival is expected to bring renewed optimism for key players like Nigerian internationals Ola Aina, who has been a consistent performer, and Taiwo Awoniyi, a central attacking presence when fit.

A strong coaching team will join Pereira at the City Ground, including Filipe Jorge Monteiro Almeida and Luis Miguel Moreira Da Silva as assistant coaches, Bruno Filipe Araujo De Moura as head of physical performance and opposition analysis, and Pedro Simao Capela Silva Lopes as opposition analyst. An early challenge for the new management will be the upcoming Europa League play-off match against Fenerbahce in Turkey, a club Pereira has previously managed.

Pereira brings extensive and successful international experience to Nottingham Forest. He rose to prominence in his native Portugal, guiding Porto to back-to-back league titles in 2011 and 2012. His career has also seen him achieve a domestic double with Olympiacos in Greece, and league glory with Shanghai Port F.C. in China. Other notable managerial spells include Fenerbahçe S.K., Sport Club Corinthians Paulista, and Clube de Regatas do Flamengo.

Crucially, Pereira has a proven track record of navigating English top-flight survival battles. Most recently, he managed Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C., where he orchestrated a dramatic turnaround. He took Wolves from 19th place and five points adrift of safety, guiding them to a 16th-place finish, a comfortable 17 points clear of relegation. This successful stint included a remarkable six-match winning run in the league, featuring victories over teams like Southampton, West Ham, Ipswich, Tottenham, Manchester United, and Leicester. Owner Evangelos Marinakis will undoubtedly be looking for a similar significant upturn in form from Pereira, a challenge his predecessors were unable to meet, especially with West Ham trailing Forest by just three points with 12 games remaining.