Liverpool hit with unfortunate news as rival team hires new coach

Nottingham Forest fired Sean Dyche after just 25 games and 114 days in charge, with former Wolves boss Vitor Pereira becoming the club's fourth different manager this season on an 18-month deal

Arne Slot will face Nottingham Forest's fourth manager of the season next weekend(Image: Getty Images)

Nottingham Forest has announced the appointment of Vitor Pereira as its new manager - and that could be bad news for Liverpool.

Pereira's first Premier League game in charge of Forest will be against the Reds at the City Ground, where the home fans will be hoping to witness a new manager bounce - a phenomenon where a team has an upturn in form after appointing a new boss.

Arne Slot and Liverpool will hope Pereira doesn't get that bounce. The former Wolves boss takes over as Forest's fourth manager since the season's commencement, having agreed to an 18-month deal.

At 57, Pereira steps into the shoes of Sean Dyche, who was given his marching orders in the wee hours of Thursday after a mere 25 matches at the helm. Dyche's final act was the supervision of Wednesday's goalless draw at home against bottom-placed Wolves.

Forest is precariously perched just three points and one spot above the drop zone, with West Ham in 18th hitting its stride.

Pereira, whose appointment was made official on Sunday, makes a Premier League comeback merely three months after being shown the door by Wolves. He worked under Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis at Olympiacos, winning the Greek league and cup in 2015.

Vitor Pereira is back in management(Image: Getty Images)

Olympiacos and Wolves are among the 14 clubs that Pereira has managed at the first-team level throughout his career.

He successfully navigated Wolves to safety last season, but the West Midlands club failed to secure a win in any of its opening 10 league games this season under his leadership. Pereira now faces the challenge of saving the Nottingham team from its first relegation since its return to the Premier League in 2022.

After being knocked out of the FA Cup by Championship team Wrexham, Forest's next match is in the Europa League. The team is set to journey to Turkey next Thursday to take on Fenerbahce, another of Pereira's former clubs, in the first leg of a playoff tie.

Then comes the game against Liverpool on Sunday, February 22.

Forest cut ties with Dyche just 114 days after he was brought in to succeed Ange Postecoglou, whose tenure was even shorter. The club kicked off the season under the leadership of Nuno Espirito Santo, who steered it to a commendable seventh-place finish.

However, Forest has experienced a swift downturn this season, frequently flirting with relegation since their promotion.

At 12:31 am local time on Thursday, a statement from the City Ground announced: "Nottingham Forest Football Club can confirm that Sean Dyche has been relieved of his duties as head coach.

"We would like to thank Sean and his staff for their efforts during their time at the club, and we wish them the best of luck for the future. We will be making no further comment at this time."