Oliver Glasner is in advanced talks to replace Vitor Pereira as Nottingham Forest head coach, a move which would see the Austrian become the club’s fifth manager in less than a year.

Pereira announced his departure from the club in a statement on Wednesday, saying that it came as a “complete surprise to me and without any warning”.

Glasner is a free agent after leaving Crystal Palace — where he won the FA Cup in 2024-25 and then the Community Shield and Conference League the following campaign — and is set to stay in the Premier League.

The 51-year-old confirmed in January that he would leave Palace at the end of the season after two years in charge.

On Thursday, Forest confirmed Pereira’s coaching staff Filipe Almeida, Luis Miguel, Bruno Moura, Marco Knoop and Pedro Lopes had all left the club alongside the head coach.

Pereira, 57, was appointed Forest head coach in February on an 18-month contract which runs until 2027.

The Athletic reported in May Forest had been planning to show their faith in Pereira by handing the head coach a new long-term contract, but those talks were subsequently put on hold.

“Today marks the end of my journey as head coach of Nottingham Forest,” he said in his statement.

“I want to say a sincere thank you to everyone connected with this incredible football club. Although this decision came as a complete surprise to me and without any warning, I fully respect the club’s right to make the decisions it believes are best for its future.

“Naturally, I am disappointed and saddened. I truly believed in what we were building together, and I leave with a sense of pride in everything we achieved over the past months.

“Together, we enjoyed a memorable end to the season. We secured the club’s Premier League status, reached the semi-finals of the Europa League, and created moments that will stay with me forever. Most importantly, I saw a group of players grow in confidence, belief and togetherness.

“I leave Nottingham Forest with no bitterness or resentment—only respect, gratitude and wonderful memories. Football is full of unexpected moments, and while this chapter has ended sooner than I expected, I will always look back on my time here with pride and affection.”

The Portuguese succeeded Sean Dyche and was Forest’s fourth permanent boss of the season following the departures of Nuno Espirito Santo and Ange Postecoglou.

Nuno had led Forest to Europa League qualification the previous season but he departed in September, less than three months after signing a new deal. Postecoglou was appointed his replacement but was dismissed just 39 days later. Dyche took charge of the team in October before his dismissal in February.

Forest were three points above the relegation zone when Pereira was appointed and he subsequently steered his side to Premier League safety with two games of the campaign remaining.

His appointment marked his second managerial spell in the Premier League after guiding Wolverhampton Wanderers to safety during the 2024-25 campaign.

Cristiano Ronaldo has publicly countered suggestions from his sister, Katia Aveiro, that he intends to retire from international football following the World Cup.

The Portuguese legend recently led his team to the round of 16 following a 2-1 victory over Croatia.

Ronaldo continued to be a pivotal player for his country, having scored the equalising goal from the penalty spot after going one goal down in the second half.

Following his goal, he became the oldest player to score in the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup.

Reports from Portuguese media had quoted Aveiro stating that the current tournament would be Ronaldo’s final appearance for the national team.

Before the recent match against Croatia, Aveiro was quoted as saying, “From the information I have, from a reliable source, I believe that this is the last dance, so let’s enjoy it. I strongly believe this is the farewell.”

However, the football icon has made it clear that his focus remains solely on the present, not on his future.

“My future isn’t important right now,” Ronaldo stated. “I’ll have time; after winning or losing, I’ll talk to my family and then make the best decision.”

The legendary forward, who recently secured a trophy in Saudi Arabia, holds the record for both appearances and goals for his national team, with 146 goals in 232 caps.

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s World Cup journey ended in heartbreak, compounded by the shocking news of manager Sebastien Desabre’s personal loss, which was announced during his post-match press conference in Atlanta.

Following a hard-fought 2-1 defeat by England in the round of 32, Desabre was fielding questions from the media when a team official unexpectedly shared the tragic news about his father’s passing.

In a moment that quickly went viral, the DR Congo communications manager concluded the press conference by stating, “Thank you. However, we are informing you that the coach has lost his father; our sincere condolences.”

Desabre, who appeared visibly taken aback, paused before quietly responding, “Merci,” and then left the room at the Mercedes-Benz Arena. It was not immediately clear if he had been previously informed of the news.

Against England, DR Congo took a first-half lead through Brian Cipenga and nearly doubled it when Newcastle’s Yoane Wissa struck the post.

Despite a heroic performance from goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi, two goals from Harry Kane ultimately ended their campaign.

Despite the result, Desabre expressed pride in his team’s performance. “We’re disappointed because we believed we could do it,” he said.

“Perhaps we lacked a bit of experience at the end, but that’s football. We learn, we continue to improve, and we move forward calmly.”

“We fought like the Congolese people. We played good football today against one of the best teams in the world. That’s what we’ll remember,” he added.

Burnley defender Axel Tuanzebe echoed the sentiment of a missed opportunity. “Ultimately, we’re kicking ourselves more so because we felt we should’ve definitely held out on the game,” he commented.

“Probably should’ve finished it in the first half as well, but it was unfortunate it was not meant to be for us today. We’ll look at this and think about how we can build for future tournaments.”