Nottingham Forest are on the hunt for a new manager after dispensing of the services of Chris Hughton earlier today.

After a seven-match winless run this season in the Championship which included six defeats, the 62-year-old was sacked after less than a year in charge at the City Ground.

The search is now on for Hughton's replacement and there's already some interesting names leading the pack.

Steve Cooper is seemingly the top target with Chris Wilder also of interest, although he may have issues with the recruitment side of things at the club and John Terry is a name who has cropped up but he distanced himself from the job  - although that was before Hughton was sacked.

Let's look at three other names who could come in and arrest the club's slide as soon as possible.

Roy Keane

Despite not being a manager since leaving Ipswich in 2011, Keane is someone who could really ruffle a few feathers in the Forest camp and stick a rocket up the squad.

Having been an assistant at Aston Villa, the Republic of Ireland and Forest under Martin O'Neill since last leading a club, Keane is keen to get back into management and spoke to a Championship club earlier this year about potentially taking over, as he revealed to Gary Neville on The Overlap.

And having played for Forest between the years of 1990 and 1993 before departing to Manchester United, Keane could be seen as a man who the fanbase could really get behind as the leader instead of an assistant like he was with O'Neill.

 

 

 

 

Ben Olsen

How about this for a blast from the past Forest fans?

As a player, Olsen signed for the Tricky Trees on a loan deal from D.C. United in 2000 and was well on his way to becoming a key player until a devastating ankle injury ruled him out for over a year.

Olsen still went on to carve out a solid career for himself back in the MLS and with the USA national team, and in 2010 he became head coach of D.C. United, managing them for 10 years before leaving last year.

He won the MLS Coach of the Year in 2014 and in 2019 became the youngest manager in the league's history to rack up 100 wins, so he has a lot of experience but it's not just the link with Forest as a former player he has.

Olsen is a former team-mate of new Forest CEO Dane Murphy and he was still head coach of United when Murphy took over as technical director in January 2019, so they have a relationship from both on and off the pitch and it wouldn't be a shock to see him lined up.

Alex Neil

You can draw your own conclusions as to why Alex Neil attended Forest's match with Middlesbrough last night, but it wouldn't be a shock if he was under consideration if a move for Cooper falls through.

Neil has plenty of Championship experience after taking Norwich City up and doing well for the most part with Preston North End with a lack of resources - his early days at Deepdale saw an exciting high-pressing style of football be successful for the most part.

Things obviously turned sour last season for Neil and he was sacked in March at PNE with the club faltering, but Neil is definitely someone who could come into the club and make a difference, especially in the short-term.

Forest could do far worse than appoint the Scot and he may be on their radar if they have to lower their sights from a Cooper or Wilder-type.