Sean Dyche is reportedly now the front-runner to be named Nottingham Forest's new manager in the coming days, as owner Evangelos Marinakis looks to move quickly to bring in a replacement for Ange Postecoglou. The greek-Australian was sacked on Saturday just 18 minutes after Forest lost 3-0 at home to Chelsea, and this may have opened the door for Dyche to make a return to the Premier League.

Dyche in 'advanced talks' to become new Forest boss

Dyche is top of Marinakis' list to become Forest's third manager of the season already, report Sky Sports.

The 54-year-old has been out of work since he was sacked by Everton in January and is believed to have overtaken Roberto Mancini in the race to take over at the City Ground. Former Manchester City and Italy boss Mancini, who won the Premier League in 2011/12 with the Cityzens and was victorious in Euro 2020 with Italy, had earlier emerged as a surprise candidate for the role. He was most recently manager of the Saudi Arabian national team and has not managed in club football since 2018.

Dyche is believed to be the clear front-runner, though, and is in 'advanced talks' for the role according to the report. He could be 'appointed quickly' as the club look to move quickly on from Postecoglou's brief time in charge.

Previous managerial candidates who have been ruled out include Luciano Spalletti and Pedro Martins, while Fulham boss Marco Silva was previously mentioned but is reported to have a release clause of £8 million ($10.7m).

AdvertisementGetty Images SportDyche may make Forest return after 35 years away

Dyche has previous links to Forest, having been a youth team player at the club for several years before leaving to pursue his professional career in England's lower leagues in 1990, departing without making a first-team appearance for the club.

He still holds fond memories of the City Ground, where he trained alongside the likes of Forest and Manchester United legend Roy Keane. Dyche said of his time at the club during a 2023 interview with Sky Sports: "There was a big group of us. We used to run around Nottingham now and again, have a couple of beers, like you do after a game. They were good times, without a doubt. They were important years for me.

"Everyone knew the way the team played," Dyche added of the club’s iconic period under Brian Clough, which he was there to witness. "Everyone knew the expectation of how to play. It was kind of ingrained in the whole club. That's a valuable thing to have if you can build it. But of course, nowadays, people want to change a lot. So it takes some doing when you've got to build a whole club."

He remains in contact with the likes of former Forest players Tony Loughlan and Gary Charles, and they enjoy the occasional dinner with Keane to reminisce. "We have a bit of a laugh at old times and life back then."

Defender Murillo shows support to Forest social media statement

Forest defender Murillo appeared to support the club’s decision to part ways with Postecoglou on Saturday, as the Brazilian 'liked' the club's statement on social media.

The club's 39-word statement confirmed the end of Postecoglou’s 39-day reign, which will go down as one of the shortest in Premier League history.

The statement read: "Nottingham Forest Football Club can confirm that after a series of disappointing results and performances, Ange Postecoglou has been relieved of his duties as head coach with immediate effect. The club will make no further comment at this time."

Postecoglou took charge of just eight matches at the club, five in the Premier League, failing to win a single game in all competitions and falling to six defeats with 18 goals conceded. The former Tottenham Hotspur boss became the first Forest manager to fail to win any of their first six games in over 100 years, a record which would only worsen.

Getty Images SportWhat comes next?

It is crucial that Forest and Marinakis get their next managerial appointment right. Only months after qualifying for the Europa League, they currently sit precariously in the bottom three of the Premier League ahead of upcoming fixtures against Bournemouth, Manchester United and Leeds United. 

The pressure will be on for their new head coach to inspire a return to somewhere near the form shown under Nuno Espirito Santo last season, as their European campaign also continues to build with the visit of Porto on Thursday. We may know by then if it is to be Dyche who will take the reigns at the City Ground.