The 54-year-old Englishman, who has signed a contract to run until the summer of 2027, becomes the Forest’s third different boss this season.

Dyche succeeds Ange Postecoglou, who lasted just 39 days and was sacked 17 minutes after Saturday’s 3-0 defeat by Chelsea in the Premier League.

Postecoglu did not win any of his eight games in charge – drawing two and losing six – after he was brought in to replace Nuno Espirito Santo, who was sacked just three matches into the campaign.

Forest are 18th in the league table after one win in eight games during what has been a difficult start to the season.

Dyche’s first game will be a Europa League game at home to Porto on Thursday before Forest are at Bournemouth in the Premier League on Sunday.

The process to appoint a new manager was led by Forest’s global head of football Edu Gaspar and global technical director George Syrianos.

Former Italy and Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini also held discussions with Forest about the post, while Fulham manager Marco Silva was also known to be admired by the club.

“A respected and experienced Premier League manager, Dyche brings the perfect blend of character, tactical acumen and proven achievement to guide the club through its next chapter,” said a Forest statement.

“As a former Forest youth player who lives locally, Dyche also has a deep understanding of the values and pride of Forest and its supporters.

“His appointment represents the best opportunity for a successful and competitive season across both domestic and European competitions.”

Dyche’s coaching staff will include Ian Woan and Steven Stone, who both played for Nottingham Forest.

“It’s a mess isn’t it?” said BBC Sport football pundit Chris Sutton on the Monday Night Club before Dyche’s appointment was confirmed.

“If Dyche gets over the line it is an admission that they got it wrong with Ange Postecoglou and are thinking about survival.

“Dyche has always managed clubs where it has been a struggle. He bucked the trend at Burnley and got the best out of the players he had and proved himself to be an extremely capable manager.

“At Everton he took over a team in trouble and stabilised the club. He had points deductions to contend with.

“Forest want to stay in the league so it seems a sensible appointment. They won’t go down, they have too many good players.”

Dyche is the main contender to become the next Forest head coach, following the sacking of Ange Postecoglou, and the Premier League club hope to conclude a deal on Monday.

Postecoglou was sacked 17 minutes after Forest’s 3-0 defeat by Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday.

Forest are 18th in the table after just one win in eight league games, during what has been a season of upheaval.

Dyche has had positive talks over the past 24 hours and sources close to the appointment have told BBC Sport his chances of getting the job have improved significantly over the weekend.

Roberto Mancini has also held discussions with Forest officials, while Fulham manager Marco Silva is admired but under contract.

There is also a large release clause in Silva’s contract that has emerged as a factor, given Forest have already spent on sacking Postecoglou and Nuno Espirito Santo this season.

Whether Silva would be prepared to leave Fulham mid-season is also understood to be an issue.

Sources are indicating that Dyche is currently the standalone candidate, given the difficulties in appointing Silva, while the initial interest in Mancini is understood to have cooled.

Forest’s managerial merry-go-round

Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis sacked Nuno just three matches into the campaign and replaced him with Postecoglou.

The Australian failed to win a game and his dismissal – 39 days after his appointment on 9 September – meant his stint at Forest is the shortest permanent managerial reign in Premier League history.

Dyche was on the books of Forest as a youth team player in the late 1980s while Brian Clough was manager, but never made a first-team appearance.

He has not had a managerial job since being sacked by Everton in January after just under two years in charge of the Toffees.

Dyche won 21, lost 31 and drew 23 of his 75 Premier League matches as Everton boss, guiding the club to 17th and 15th-place finishes.

Prior to that Dyche spent nearly a decade as Burnley manager between October 2012 and April 2022, twice winning promotion to the top flight and helping the Clarets qualify for Europe for the first time since 1967.

He also had a stint in charge of Watford for the 2011–2012 season, only to lose his job following a change of ownership.

Kettering-born Dyche spent his entire playing career as a defender outside of the top flight, making more than 500 appearances for clubs including Chesterfield, Bristol City, Millwall, Watford and Northampton.

The 53-year-old departs just hours before Everton are due to host League One side Peterborough in the third round of the FA Cup.

Everton announced their under-18s head coach Leighton Baines and club captain Seamus Coleman will take charge of the team for that game.

Four members of Dyche’s coaching staff – Ian Woan, Steve Stone, Mark Howard and Billy Mercer – have also departed.

The Toffees were beaten 1-0 by Bournemouth on Saturday and sit 16th in the Premier League and just one point clear of the relegation zone.

They failed to register a shot on target at Vitality Stadium and have won just three league games from 19 in the league this season.

Dyche, whose contract was due to expire in the summer, succeeded Frank Lampard on 30 January 2023 with Everton in the relegation zone.

The team secured survival with a 1-0 win against Bournemouth on the final day of that season.

He then steered the Toffees to a 15th-place finish in the 2023-24 campaign despite the Merseysiders being deducted eight points for two separate breaches of Premier League financial rules.

The club have looked strong defensively this season, keeping seven clean sheets.

But they have struggled for goals, netting only 15, and are the second-lowest scorers in the league, with only bottom club Southampton having managed fewer.

This is Everton’s last season at their 132-year-old stadium before moving to a new ground at Bramley-Moore Dock.

The US-based Friedkin Group completed a £400m takeover of the club last month.

The Toffees suffered a 4-0 defeat at Tottenham after losing 3-0 at home to Brighton on the opening day of the season.

When asked about whether his team lacks quality and faces a battle against relegation, Dyche said: “It is a never ending challenge since I’ve been here, but it is all I’ve known at Everton Football Club.”

The Toffees sold Belgium midfielder Amadou Onana to Aston Villa for £50m in July and brought in defender Jake O’Brien, forward Iliman Ndiaye and midfielder Tim Iroegbunam for around £40m combined, while Jesper Lindstrom and Jack Harrison have joined on loan.

“We’ve sold a player who is growing, maturing, and becoming a very good player and we’ve got to start the process again and make others grow and mature and become good players,” added Dyche.

“It just keeps going and going and going, that’s just the reality of the club. I work on realities and it is difficult at Everton Football Club. There are plenty of myths about it. The latest was a myth about us being in Europe. What happened in the last three seasons? Were we not trying to be in Europe?

“There has to be reality and I’ve tried to bring that and I am still trying to bring that. The fact is, coming here with a tough squad is tough, but that doesn’t mean you accept it. Our responsibility is to take action when it is tough.”

Former Everton winger Pat Nevin said on BBC Radio 5 Live that Dyche’s side “looked miles away from it, not a lack of effort but a lack of quality”.

And ex-Toffees defender Martin Keown said their next Premier League game at home to Bournemouth is a “must-win”, adding: “Sean Dyche is under real pressure.”

Keown also questioned: “Can he buy players between now and then?”

But when asked, Dyche added: “It’s a weird thing in football when people say: ‘Why don’t you go out and buy someone?’ I’m like: ‘What do you mean? There is no money.’

“It’s as if, as a manager, I don’t want to buy anyone. It’s not that I am a manager wanting to keep the money here. Unless someone tells me something different, this is what we’ve got.”

Everton next face Doncaster in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday before hosting Bournemouth.

Dyche said he was down to 14 first-team players before visiting Spurs and does not expect many of those to return before the September international break.

He has urged his team to fight on in difficult circumstances.

“People have been saying is it the ownership, the points [deduction], the injuries, this and that and all the rest of it but we’ve still found our way,” he said.

“And that’s why it is important to stay focused. There’s so much noise and stories every day around Everton and it is tough. It’s not very often about the football. We’ve done it since I’ve been here and we have got to start again.”

Dyche replaces Frank Lampard who was sacked last week following a defeat against West Ham at the London Stadium.

He has agreed a two-and-a-half-year contract.
He takes over with Everton second-bottom, only ahead of Southampton on goal difference and with a two-point gap to safety.

“It’s an honour to become Everton manager. My staff and I are ready and eager to help get this great club back on track,” said Dyche.

“I know about Everton’s passionate fanbase and how precious this club is to them. We’re ready to work and ready to give them what they want. That starts with sweat on the shirt, effort and getting back to some of the basic principles of what Everton Football Club has stood for a long time.

“We want to bring back a good feeling. We need the fans, we need unity and we need everyone aligned. That starts with us as staff and players.

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“Our aim is to put out a team that works, that fights and wears the badge with pride. The connection with the fans can then grow very quickly because they’re so passionate.

“There is quality in this squad. But we have to make them shine. That’s the job of me and my staff.

“We want to change the shape of this club going forward, remodel it in our style, but in a way that we can win. That’s the task in front of us – make sure we’re building, tactically and technically, giving players organisation, allow them the freedom to play, to go and enjoy their football because it’s brilliant when the team’s playing with a smile, but we’ve got to win.”

His first fixture couldn’t be much tougher – Everton face Premier League leaders Arsenal at home in a 12.30pm kick-off on Saturday.

Dyche and former Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa were the two main contenders after holding talks with Everton’s hierarchy.

Bielsa was initially understood to be the favoured choice of owner Farhad Moshiri but the former Burnley boss is now in pole position.

The Toffees want their new manager in place before the weekend.

Bielsa, 67, expressed reservations about taking over in mid-season and whether the squad would fit his high-intensity and physically demanding style.

There were also doubts over the expensive package his appointment would require.

Talks did not bring any resolution, leaving Dyche as the front-runner, although it remains to be seen what agreement will be reached on length of contract, with the 51-year-old unlikely to simply want a short-term deal.

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Everton are next in action on 4 February, when they host Premier League leaders Arsenal at Goodison Park.

Dyche also impressed Everton and the manager sacked by Burnley now looks certain to be given the task of rescuing their troubled season.

Lampard was dismissed with the Toffees lying 19th in the Premier League table with only 15 points from 20 games.

In a decade at Burnley, Dyche guided the Clarets to two promotions from the Championship and two top-half Premier League finishes.

Dyche also helped Burnley achieve their first European qualification in 51 years after leading them to seventh place in the top flight in 2017-18.

Moshiri will be making his seventh managerial appointment since buying into the club in February 2016.

The Clarets, who have lost five of their last six top-flight games, are 18th and four points from safety.

Dyche was the Premier League’s longest-serving manager, having taken over at Turf Moor in October 2012.

Burnley chairman Alan Pace said it was “an incredibly difficult decision” to part company with Dyche, but “we feel a change is needed”.

Dyche’s last game in charge of Burnley saw them lose 2-0 to Norwich City, who are bottom of the Premier League.

Assistant manager Ian Woan, first-team coach Steve Stone and goalkeeping coach Billy Mercer have also left the club.

“Firstly, we would like to place on record our sincere thanks to Sean and his staff for their achievements at the club over the last decade,” said Pace.

“During his time at Turf Moor, Sean has been a credit both on and off the pitch, respected by players, staff, supporters, and the wider football community.

“However, results this season have been disappointing and, while this was an incredibly difficult decision, with eight crucial games of the campaign remaining, we feel a change is needed to give the squad the best possible chance of retaining its Premier League status.

“Under-23s coach Mike Jackson, assisted by academy director Paul Jenkins, Under-23s goalkeeping coach Connor King and club captain Ben Mee have been asked to take charge of the team for Sunday’s game with West Ham United.

“The process of replacing Sean has begun and further announcements will be made to supporters in due course.”

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