Sean Dyche close to agreeing long-term contract to become Nottingham Forest head coach

Sean Dyche is close to completing an agreement to become Nottingham Forest’s new head coach on a long-term contract, with confirmation of his appointment expected on Monday.

As reported by The Athletic on Sunday, Dyche emerged as the leading candidate to become Forest’s third permanent boss of the season shortly after the sacking of Ange Postecoglou on Saturday afternoon.

Forest also spoke to former Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini and considered an approach for Fulham’s Marco Silva.

Mancini’s camp indicated that he was keen to take the job but there were concerns over the length of time the 60-year-old has been out of European club management, having coached Italy and in Saudi Arabia since leaving Zenit Saint Petersburg in 2018.

Global head of football Edu and global technical director George Syrianos led Forest’s search to replace Postecoglou and held positive meetings with Dyche, who was out of work after leaving Everton in January.

Dyche’s Premier League experience, having overseen nearly seven seasons with Burnley and two years at Everton, is considered important for Forest and their large English contingent and he was deemed the best fit for the club of the candidates considered.

Postecoglou succeeded Nuno Espirito Santo in September but failed to win any of his eight matches in charge and was dismissed minutes after Saturday’s 3-0 home defeat by Chelsea.

The 60-year-old Australian oversaw just one point across five league games — a 1-1 draw at Burnley — with losses against Arsenal, Sunderland, Newcastle and Chelsea. Forest were also defeated by Championship side Swansea City in the Carabao Cup, drew their opening Europa League game 2-2 with Real Betis and lost to FC Midtjylland in the Europa League.

Dyche, 54, left his position as Everton manager at the start of the year after two years at Goodison Park. He departed with Everton 16th in the Premier League, with his successor David Moyes overseeing a 13th-place finish.

In 2023-24, Dyche kept Everton in the Premier League despite the club twice being deducted points for breaching the league’s profitability and sustainability rules (PSR).

The former Chesterfield and Millwall defender began his managerial career with Watford. He spent a season in charge at Vicarage Road before joining Burnley, where he spent the best part of a decade.

Dyche led Burnley to the most successful period in their history, delivering six uninterrupted seasons of Premier League football before being dismissed in April 2022.

Forest, 18th in the Premier League with only one win, are next in action against Porto in the Europa League on Thursday.

‘Dyche makes perfect sense’

Analysis by Nottingham Forest correspondent Paul Taylor

The appointment of Postecoglou proved to be too much change at once for Forest.

Which is also why replacing him with Dyche makes perfect sense now.

The challenge of transitioning from the disciplined, organised identity that Nuno had given Forest, into the attack-minded risk-taking philosophy of Ange-ball, proved to be a step too far.

Eight games without a win simultaneously sealed Postecoglou’s fate and drastically changed the dynamic of Forest’s season.

Only a few months ago, Forest’s ambitions were to improve on their seventh-place finish and to push hard to win the Europa League. Having invested roughly £200million on 13 new signings, Forest believed they had built a squad that was capable of achieving both.

Now their goal, initially at least, will be to ensure they do not get sucked into a relegation battle.

And, at a time when the club need somebody to steady the ship, to restore some of the qualities that had been the foundations for success under Nuno, Dyche could prove to be the perfect hand on the tiller.

Forest are certainly unlikely to concede 20 goals in their next eight games, as they had done during Postecoglou’s ill-fated tenure.

Dyche guided Everton away from the threat of relegation following his appointment there in January 2023 and kept them clear of trouble during the 2023-24 campaign, despite the club being deducted six points for breaching the Premier League’s profit and sustainability regulations (PSR).

Prior to that Dyche led Burnley to the most successful period in their history, delivering six uninterrupted seasons of Premier League football, including a seventh-placed finish in 2017-18, which earned them qualification for the Europa League.

And, while Postecoglou never managed to form any kind of bond with Forest supporters — albeit during his admittedly short 39-day tenure — Dyche is somebody who will arrive with a well-known affinity for the club.

Dyche came through the youth ranks at the City Ground and, while he never made a first team appearance, he has often spoken fondly of his time here — and he also still has a home in the city.

The return of his regular assistants — former Forest favourites Steve Stone and Ian Woan — would also go down well with fans, presuming they are part of his coaching staff.

Dyche might not be as glamorous appointment as Roberto Mancini or Marco Silva, the other men Forest considered for the position, but he might well prove to be the most sensible choice.

And right now, that is exactly what they need.

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