Vitor Pereira was sacked by Nottingham Forest in an email sent at 11:58pm on June 30, blindsiding the Portuguese manager who had just finalised a pre-season tournament in Italy. The club activated a break clause in his contract that allowed them to part ways, and within hours announced that former Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner would become the fifth head coach in less than 12 months.
Pereira, who replaced Sean Dyche in February, had guided Forest to 16th in the Premier League and to the Europa League semi-finals – the club’s first European semi since 1984. He also oversaw a 5-0 win at Sunderland, Forest’s biggest away victory in the top flight since 1995, and a 3-0 away win at Fenerbahce. Despite those achievements, the club decided to exercise the June break clause.
“Vitor Pereira sacked via email at midnight; Oliver Glasner appointed as Forest's fifth manager in under a year.”
“Although this decision came as a complete surprise to me and without any warning, I fully respect the club’s right to make the decisions it believes are best for its future,” Pereira said in a statement to BBC Sport. “Naturally, I am disappointed and saddened. I truly believed in what we were building together, and I leave with a sense of pride in everything we achieved over the past months.”
The timing was particularly brutal. Just one day before his dismissal, Pereira had approved Forest’s participation in a pre-season tournament against Udinese and Barcelona in Italy. He had also planned friendlies against Blackburn, Vitoria Guimaraes, Sporting Lisbon, Bayer Leverkusen, and Udinese, and attended a recruitment meeting in London to finalise summer transfer targets.
Forest had first approached Glasner in December 2023 but opted for Nuno Espírito Santo instead. This time, the Austrian – who won the Europa Conference League with Palace last season after their FA Cup success in 2025 – agreed a three-year contract. Glasner is highly regarded by Forest’s technical director, George Syrianos, and internally seen as an upgrade who can bring long-term stability.
Glasner’s appointment continues a dizzying managerial turnover at the City Ground. Since Nuno left in August, Ange Postecoglou lasted eight winless Premier League games, Dyche had a breakdown in relationship with several players, and now Pereira is gone despite a strong finish. Forest ended the season one point and one position behind Palace, who finished 15th.
Pereira, whose contract was due to run until 2027, insisted he left with “no bitterness or resentment – only respect, gratitude and wonderful memories.” He added: “Football is full of unexpected moments, and while this chapter has ended sooner than I expected, I will always look back on my time here with pride and affection.”
Glasner will start without midfielder Elliot Anderson, who is poised to leave the club. The task of bringing stability to a club that has churned through five managers in under a year now falls to him.