Ivo Vieira has done a great job in Portugal with Moreirense and was reportedly considered after Championship outfit Forest lost Aitor Karanka.
Nottingham Forest have brought in a number of Portuguese players in the last few transfer windows and it seemed that they were considering an Iberian coach too before handing the reigns to Martin O’Neill.
The 66-year-old sealed an emotional return to the club where he lifted the European Cup twice on Tuesday, The Guardian claiming that O’Neill had ‘blown away’ owner Evangelos Marinakis with his energy and desire to bring success to the City Ground.
But it seems that the former Republic of Ireland boss wasn’t the only option.
The Sun (15 January, page 53) claimed that Forest turned to O’Neill after Slavisa Jokanovic turned them down. And reports from O Jogo are now claiming that Marinakis had given serious thought to the highly-rated Ivo Vieira too.
It is claimed that the owner had heard good things about Vieira, who has developed a fine reputation at the helm of Primeira Liga outfit Moreirense.
The green and whites have punched above their weight, sitting seventh in the table with the 43-year-old coach earning plenty of plaudits. Vieira, who spent his entire playing career in Portugal with Nacional, is also out of contract at the end of the season as things stand.
But while O’Neill’s appointment has left some underwhelmed, Vieira would have been far more of a risk.
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