Nottingham Forest have approached the ‘incredible’ Premier League title-winning manager following the sacking of Ange Postecoglou on Saturday.
Forest fire Angers after just 39 days in office
Mr Postecoglou’s tenure as Forestry Director lasted just 39 days, putting the Australian second behind Sam Allardyce on the list of the shortest-serving managers in aviation history, but it was a natural decision for coach Evangelos Marinakis.
The 60-year-old was winless in his eight games in charge in all competitions and Tricky Trees were even kicked out of the EFL Cup by Championship side Swansea City.
Forest have had a disastrous start to the season, picking up just five points from their opening eight games, leaving them 18th in the table and potentially in a relegation battle.
Marinakis has certainly wasted no time finding a potential replacement for Ange, with reports revealing Sean Dyche is in talks to replace the former Tottenham Hotspur manager in the dugout.
However, The Athletic reports that Nottingham Forest are in contact with manager Roberto Mancini, who won the Premier League in the 2011-12 season.
Forest had held talks with the former Manchester City manager and most recently Saudi Arabia manager before reaching a joint agreement to step down from his role just over a year ago.
Although the Italian player did not achieve much against Saudi Arabia, he certainly achieved his goal as Italy manager and led his country to Euro glory in 2021.
‘Incredible’ Mancini could be exactly what Forest need
Given that Nuno Espirito Santo practiced a counter-attacking style of play during his time at the City Ground, Ange’s imposition of an attacking philosophy ultimately turned out to be premature.
Mancini, on the other hand, is known for his more pragmatic approach, which Forest may need to avoid being exposed defensively, having conceded eight goals in their last three games in all competitions.
The 60-year-old, who led City to the Premier League title in 2012, was also praised by former player Yaya Toure following Italy’s Euro 2021 victory.
Mancini, who won 14 trophies during a highly successful managerial career, could be a fantastic appointment for Forest, and the fact that he is currently not at the club is an added bonus.