'Verbal Agreement': Why Nottingham Forest didn't hire Fulham boss Marco Silva with new manager imminent

Nottingham Forest have reached a verbal agreement with former Everton and Burnley manager Sean Dyche to take over at the City Ground following the sacking of Ange Postecoglou on Saturday afternoon.

The Aussie was given the chop fewer than 20 minutes after the 3-0 home defeat to Chelsea, making his stint at the City Ground the shortest ever for a permanent Premier League manager. Forest, who face Porto in Europa League action on Thursday night, are now believed to have already found their man.

Sky Sports report that negotiations with Dyche, who was sacked by Everton in January, progressed on Sunday night with both parties keen to get a deal sorted quickly. It’s touted that Dyche could be announced as the new Nottingham Forest manager later on Monday.

Why Nottingham Forest didn’t move for Fulham manager Marco Silva

That comes as a relief for Fulham supporters. The Cottagers boss Marco Silva was said to be ‘firmly on the radar’ of Nottingham Forest and even the ‘preferred option of a number of internal figures at the City Ground’ by the BBC.

Those links came due to the fact that Silva had worked with Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis at Greek outfit Olympiacos during the 2015/16 campaign. The controversial owner is thought to still be a fan of Silva, with the manager having won that Super League that year.

Silva has shared his frustrations with Fulham’s recruitment in the summer and current injury crisis, with a feeling of impatience in west London. It appears that the reason Nottingham Forest have not pursued Silva is due to the hefty release clause in his Fulham contract, which expires this summer.

Speaking on Sky Sports this morning, reporter Anton Toloui said: “Financially, Dyche is out of work so they don’t have to pay any compensation for his services, which is why the likes of Marco Silva - who was considered- was a no go. Because of the cost it would have taken for him to come to the club.”

Nottingham Forest set to appoint Sean Dyche

Nottingham Forest hope that Dyche can stop the rot under Postecoglou quickly with the club sitting 18th in the division after eight fixtures. Explaining the appointment, Toloui added: “The club has been doing due diligence on potential replacements for Ange Postecoglou. They’ve weighed up at least four different managers over the last few days and they’ve decided to go with a manager with a vast amount of Premier League experience. Who knows what it takes to, not only take teams from the bottom and push them up the table, but solidify a team when things around them are not going how they want.

“Plus, Sean Dyche knows Nottingham Forest. He came through the system here, his backroom staff are the likes of Ian Woan and Steve Stone - they know Nottingham Forest so, so well, having had fantastic playing careers here. Everyone at the club has looked at it and gone, you know what, he’s the type of manager who can galvanise this team and make the most of the squad.”

Marco Silva on Evangelos Marinakis relationship

Marco Silva spoke to A Bola about his career so far in March and was asked about his time with Olympiacos. He said: “We had a brilliant championship. But we needed to prepare for the following season, because it would be the first time that a Greek club didn't enter the Champions League directly, and we had to play in the third qualifying round, which represented a tremendous responsibility, because being in Olympiacos would have to be synonymous with playing in the Champions League, since the local championship was almost guaranteed.

“At that point, I realized that the club wasn't performing the way I thought it should to achieve our goals, and I had a frank conversation with the club's management and the president. Marinakis, with whom I had an excellent relationship, and we continue to be very good friends.”

The Greek owner is known for his fiery relationships with managers and the outlet pressed Silva on his relationship, amid reports of a fall out back when he was working in Greece. Silva clarified: “We have an excellent relationship, and at the time, I explained to him what was happening and made the decision to leave on my own, without receiving a single penny from my last day of work.

“It was a career decision I made; the financial aspect wasn't paramount, and I must mention that I wasn't in the situation I'm in today, having just finished three years at Estoril and one at Sporting. Marinakis, he wasn't satisfied, but he understood why the situation was happening. We are close and he is a person I highly regard.”

In other news, 'I Was Rubbish': Arsenal star self-critical despite 'electric' 8/10 performance v Fulham.