Earlier this week we reported that Nottingham Forest were moving towards another change in the dugout. What stands out now is Pereira's own account of how it happened. He says the decision to move on from him came "as a complete surprise" and "without any warning", despite a spell that delivered Premier League survival and a Europa League semi-final run.
Pereira signed an 18-month deal in February, and the contract included a break clause for June. He won 8 of his 20 matches in charge of Forest. In his farewell message, he said he had believed in what the club were building together and that he left with "a sense of pride".
The exit Pereira did not see coming
The most pointed line in his statement is the simplest one. "Although this decision came as a complete surprise to me and without any warning," Pereira said, before adding that he fully respected the club's right to make the decisions it believed were best for its future.
He also said: "I leave Nottingham Forest with no bitterness or resentment — only respect, gratitude and wonderful memories." That is a fairly measured exit statement for a manager whose time there ended after less than half a season's worth of league games in charge, but the disappointment is clear enough in the wording.
Forest can point to 44 points from 38 Premier League matches, and Pereira can point to 14 points from 8 Europa League matches. Those are not the numbers of a manager whose spell was an obvious disaster. They are the numbers of a club that finished the season well enough to stay up, while still deciding it wanted a different direction.
Forest's quick move to Oliver Glasner
The outgoing side of the story was matched by a quick move on the incoming one. TEAMtalk said Forest had until July 1 to activate the clause allowing Pereira's departure, and reported that the club appointed Oliver Glasner less than 24 hours after deciding to part company with him. The reporting around the timing is not perfectly aligned, but the picture is clear: Forest were moving fast.
Glasner arrives with a strong recent reputation, even if Crystal Palace's last five league matches finished as 1 win, 2 draws and 2 losses. That run does not tell the whole story of his appeal. It does, though, show the kind of mixed backdrop Forest are taking on as they reset again.
For now, the key fact is Pereira's own version of the split. He says he was surprised, he says he was proud of what the team achieved, and Forest are already into another managerial cycle.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →