Sean Dyche Burnley
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Sean Dyche, the newly appointed head coach of Nottingham Forest, is currently evaluating his squad following his recent appointment. After a promising start with a Europa League victory over Porto, Dyche’s primary focus is on improving Forest’s position in the Premier League standings. The team currently sits in the relegation zone, a situation not anticipated after a substantial summer expenditure of over £180 million on 13 new signings.
Sean Dyche said: “I don’t know yet. People say when you spend some money, they are all brilliant. But I don’t know yet. On first impressions, it’s a good squad. I’ve worked with some very under-rated players; very good players who cost next to nothing and who delivered in the Premier League for many years. I don’t look at price tags, I look at what’s right in front of me. What are they doing? What do they know? What do they learn? How can they learn? How can they adapt to the truth of the Premier League? The Premier League is not just about quality. Every player in the Premier League has a form of quality, if you imagine technical quality. But what about the nuts and bolts of playing? What about understanding the Premier League? What about shape and discipline? What about getting into the right passing lanes very quickly? They are the hardest things to coach and that often takes time.”
Dyche took over from Ange Postecoglou, becoming Forest’s third manager of the season. His task involves not only integrating new signings but also maintaining harmony within a large squad. The coach acknowledges the challenges of adapting to the Premier League and the misconception that high spending guarantees success.
Dyche continued: “We have players who are still adapting. When people talk about the quality of a squad, it is usually applied to a (transfer) fee. It’s not that (this group) hasn’t got quality, but they have still got to adapt to the Premier League. It is not an easy league to adapt to. Some players hit the ground running and seem game-ready for it, and other players take time. I think there is a mixture here of players who need some time to develop into Premier League players and some who will fast-track. That is just the nature of signing players. It’s a myth about spending money; everyone thinks you’re spending it and that’s job done. If you spend a billion pounds, it probably is. But not when you spend £100-odd million. You spend that as normal. Teams are spending more than that on one player. That’s not the case anymore and it doesn’t guarantee quality. We think we have got quality, I must make that clear, but there are players who need to develop into the truth and the reality of the Premier League. I think that takes time.”
As Forest prepares for their upcoming match against Bournemouth, Dyche faces additional challenges with player fitness. Dilane Bakwa is expected to miss the game, while Chris Wood’s participation remains uncertain due to a late fitness test. Oleksandr Zinchenko is also doubtful after sustaining an injury against Porto, and full-back Ola Aina continues to be sidelined with a long-term injury.
Dyche’s immediate task is to find the right balance and strategy to steer Nottingham Forest away from the relegation zone, as they aim to capitalize on their recent European success and translate it into domestic league performance.
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