How Vitor Pereira would’ve had Nottingham Forest in a race for Europe…

Ian Watson • 10 May 2026

Vitor Pereira’s impact at Nottingham Forest must not be overlooked after guiding the club to Premier League survival.

Forest fought back to claim a 1-1 draw with Newcastle on Sunday afternoon, putting them on 43 points for the season and extending their unbeaten run in the league to eight games. And West Ham’s loss to Arsenal later on the same day has ensured Forest cannot be caught in the battle to avoid the bottom three.

After last month’s 5-0 thrashing of Sunderland, before Spurs remembered how to win football matches, Pereira was at pains to insist that his side cannot take their foot off the gas.

“It’s not enough, we need more points. We need to keep our mentality. We cannot relax; we must face the final four games. This is our Champions League. To play the final four games we need to be at Champions League level.”

That may have seemed a big ask of a side scrapping against relegation, but Forest have been showing the form of a European contender since Pereira was appointed.

The Portuguese manager was hired on February 15, when he found Forest in 18th, one place above the relegation zone, three points clear of West Ham, but two behind Spurs and three off Leeds United.

Fast-forward to today, 10 games later, and while Forest’s position has not been vastly transformed, their form certainly has.

This is the Premier League table since Pereira was appointed…

West Ham and Leeds’ improvements should also be noted, highlighting why Forest’s position is not as healthy as it might have been.

The form table illustrates how hard those towards the bottom are fighting.

But Pereira’s impact at Forest deserves more of a spotlight.

Under his management, Forest are seventh – and no team in the Premier League has scored as many goals since he came in.

With Sean Dyche, Pereira’s predecessor, they were 16th. For Ange Postecoglou, they were rock bottom – obviously – while they were 13th during Nuno’s brief spell at the start of the season.

Under the three managers who came before him, Forest’s points per game through 27 games was 1.04. Under Pereira, that has improved to 1.6.

If Forest had that record through the 36 games they have played this season, they wouldn’t be far off Liverpool and Villa in a scrap for a Champions League place.

Forest no longer have a chance of playing Champions League football next season via winning the Europa League, though, after their semi-final loss to Aston Villa.

Nevertheless, Pereira had always been told that Premier League safety is the priority. And thanks to this run of form, they have secured it.

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