Nottingham Forest confirm Vitor Pereira exit after manager describes sacking as 'complete surprise'

Nottingham Forest have confirmed the departure of head coach Vitor Pereira and his entire coaching staff, with the club invoking a mutual break clause in his contract — a move Pereira himself described as a “complete surprise and without any warning”.

The Portuguese manager, 57, had only signed an 18-month deal at the City Ground in February, yet oversaw a strong end to the season that included securing Premier League survival and reaching the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Forest said: “Nottingham Forest can confirm that Vitor Pereira has left his role as head coach following the club’s decision to exercise a mutual break clause in his contract.” The club added that Pereira’s coaching staff — Filipe Almeida, Luis Miguel, Bruno Moura, Marco Knoop and Pedro Lopes — had also departed.

Forest thanked Pereira and his team for their “considerable efforts” and for “providing us with the foundations upon which we will continue to build”, citing the squad’s Premier League status and European run as highlights of his tenure.

Pereira, for his part, did not hide his disappointment. “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,” he said in his own statement. “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 manager reflected warmly on the final stretch of the season, describing it as “a memorable end” that produced “moments that will stay with me forever”.

Reports have suggested that former Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner is set to take over at the City Ground, following his own departure from Selhurst Park at the end of last season.