Nottingham Forest contact Roberto Mancini to replace Ange Postecoglou

The ex-Manchester City manager has, alongside Sean Dyche, been approached over Forest’s head coach vacancy

Nottingham Forest have been in contact with Roberto Mancini after sacking Ange Postecoglou in the immediate wake of their 3-0 loss to Chelsea on Saturday.

Postecoglou’s hopes of a first win at Forest’s helm were dashed by a second half Blues blitz , and less than 20 minutes later the club announced his immediate departure.

It means the Tricky Trees are searching for their third manager of the season just eight Premier League games in, and reports hours after the match suggested two men with vastly different résumés are currently frontrunners for the role.

Forest are understood to have been in contact with Mancini, according to unnamed sources in the 60-year-old’s home country Italy , as well as former Everton and Burnley manager Sean Dyche .

Mancini’s last stint in management - a 14-month period in charge of Saudi Arabia’s national team - ended a year ago, prior to which he was Italy boss from 2018 to 2023. During that time, the Italian led his country to Euro 2020 victory but failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup.

After calling time on his playing career and leading both Fiorentina and Lazio to Coppa Italia glory in the early 2000s, Mancini won three straight Serie A titles with Inter Milan.

It was his following job that earned him a place in English football history, though, as he guided Manchester City to their maiden Premier League title back in 2011-12. That was the penultimate campaign in a three-and-a-half season stay at the Etihad Stadium, during which Mancini won one FA Cup final (2010-11) and lost another (2012-13).

He was sacked by the Sky Blues in May 2023 following the latter defeat at the hands of Wigan and then spent the next several seasons between Galatasaray, Inter Milan and Zenit Saint Petersburg before turning to international management.

Mancini’s links to Forest come just days after it emerged that he was reportedly eyeing up the Manchester United post if Ruben Amorim was to be relieved of his duties.

Dyche, who appears to be Mancini’s main rival for the Forest job, was most recently in charge of Everton before being replaced on Merseyside by David Moyes in January.

Sean Dyche is another rumoured candidate for the Forest head coach vacancy

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A former youth-team player at Forest in the late 1980s, Dyche was Burnley manager for nearly a decade before his two years in charge of the Toffees.

Postecoglou’s exit after a winless eight-game run left Forest 18th in the Premier League. They are also still seeking a win in the Europa League, a competition in which they are next in action against Porto on Thursday.