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Nottingham Forest has appointed Vítor Pereira as head coach on an 18-month contract, with the Portuguese manager’s first assignment set to be a Europa League play-off tie against his former club Fenerbahce.
Pereira succeeds Sean Dyche following a sequence of disappointing results that has left Forest positioned close to the relegation zone in the Premier League.
Pereira’s debut will carry significant narrative weight. Forest will face Fenerbahce in the UEFA Europa League play-off round on 19 February, marking a competitive reunion with the Turkish club he previously managed during two separate spells (2015–2016 and 2021).
The fixture is expected to draw heightened attention given Pereira’s history with the Istanbul side and the importance of the tie for both clubs’ European ambitions.
Pereira’s European meeting with a former club recalls a recent parallel involving José Mourinho. The Portuguese coach signed with Fenerbahce in June 2024 but departed after the club’s UEFA Champions League play-off elimination against SL Benfica. Mourinho subsequently joined Benfica, adding further context to the recurring managerial links between the clubs.
Pereira returns to English football following his recent spell at Wolverhampton Wanderers, where he previously guided the club away from relegation danger.
Over the course of his managerial career, he has achieved domestic success in multiple countries, including league titles in Portugal with FC Porto and a league and cup double in Greece with Olympiacos. He also led Shanghai SIPG to a historic Chinese Super League championship.
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