Erik ten Hag and four others Nottingham Forest could hire to replace Ange Postecoglou

Ange Postecoglou has been sacked by Nottingham Forest after just 39 days in charge, with the Reds now on the lookout for a new manager to replace the Australian

Ange Postecoglou’s tenure at Nottingham Forest has come to an abrupt end, with no second season trophy in sight. The manager, who had previously delivered the Europa League for Tottenham Hotspur just five months prior, was given his marching orders by Forest after a mere 39 days.

His final match in charge saw a 3-0 home defeat to Chelsea, where his squad squandered multiple opportunities and once again failed to defend against crosses. The news of Postecoglou’s sacking was announced by the club before he even had the chance to conduct a post-match press conference or interview.

He leaves Forest languishing in the relegation zone and sitting 25th in the Europa League table, having only managed a draw and a loss in his first two European matches. As Forest now search for their third manager this season, Mirror Football has identified five potential candidates for Reds owner Evangelos Marinakis to consider.

READ MORE: Nottingham Forest next manager odds as Ange Postecoglou axed after just 39 days in chargeREAD MORE: Nottingham Forest move for coach who said he’d get Man Utd job after sacking Ange Postecoglou

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is currently without a club after being let go by Besiktas at the end of August. The former Manchester United boss had been enjoying a successful stint in Turkey, guiding them to a respectable fourth-place finish, reports the Express.

However, his fortunes took a turn for the worse when they were defeated by Swiss side Lausanne in the Conference League play-offs, effectively ending their European campaign for the season. The Turkish giants acted swiftly, showing the Norwegian the exit door.

Solskjaer could be the perfect fit for Forest, given his track record of stepping into a club mid-season and swiftly turning around results and performances. His most successful stints at United saw the Red Devils triumph over teams with rapid counter-attacks, capitalising on turnovers, much like Nuno Espirito-Santo’s finest work at the City Ground.

The United icon would undoubtedly jump at the chance to return to the Premier League, almost four years to the day since he was sacked as manager of the Red Devils.

Sean Dyche

Currently, Forest find themselves in a relegation battle, having slipped into 18th place. If you’re looking for a manager who excels at pulling teams out of the danger zone, look no further than Sean Dyche.

Everton were teetering on the brink of relegation to the Championship during the final stages of their new stadium build, a potential catastrophe, until Dyche stepped in and stabilised things. Despite an eight-point deduction in the 2023-24 season, Everton’s solid performances and results saw them reach 40 points, finishing a comfortable 14 points clear of the drop zone.

With the season only a few months old and the Europa League campaign just getting started, Marinakis might not feel it’s time to hit the ‘In case of relegation’ panic button and bring in Dyche just yet. However, the former Burnley boss would likely leap at the opportunity to manage a team with Forest’s talent and European standing. As it stands, Dyche is also the bookies’ favourite to take the reins at Trentside and is believed to live locally.

Erik ten Hag

Fresh from his dismissal at Man United, Erik ten Hag was barely given time to recover before being shown the door by Bayer Leverkusen. The Dutchman had been brought in as Xabi Alonso’s successor, but a string of poor results saw him out after just 10 weeks.

Despite this, Marinakis opted for Postecoglou, believing the Aussie could bring home the Europa League or another trophy. Ten Hag does have a history of success, having clinched the League Cup and the FA Cup with United, along with three Eredivisie titles during his tenure at Ajax.

Given his disastrous stint at Leverkusen, bringing in Ten Hag so soon after parting ways with Postecoglou would be a gamble. However, if Marinakis is willing to roll the dice again, he might just go all in on Ten Hag.

Marco Silva

Securing Marco Silva could prove a tough task for Forest, as he’s currently at the helm at Fulham. The Portuguese boss was left disgruntled by the Cottagers’ lack of summer signings.

Importantly, he and Marinakis are no strangers, with Silva having managed Olympiakos for just over a year.

Silva’s past experience, including a Greek Championship win, might make him less apprehensive about taking on the role compared to other managers.

Brendan Rodgers

Brendan Rodgers made a return to Celtic in the summer of 2023, following a stint at Leicester City that ended in relegation. Prior to the downturn at King Power Stadium, Rodgers had the Foxes punching well above their weight.

He made history as the first manager to bring home the FA Cup for Leicester and also led them into the Europa League, coming tantalisingly close to Champions League qualification. The current Forest squad bears similarities to the one Rodgers managed during his successful periods at Leicester.

The City Ground is home to numerous full internationals. Rodgers has left Celtic before and could be tempted to do so again if Marinakis’ offer is enticing enough.

However, with Celtic currently battling Hearts for the Scottish Premiership title and participating in the Europa League, Rodgers may not be ready to abandon his post in Scotland to manage a Premier League team facing relegation. Other names being floated for the Forest vacancy include Roberto Mancini, Rafael Benitez, Steven Gerrard, Danny Rohl and Steve Cooper.

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