Contract negotiations between Vitor Pereira and Nottingham Forest have been put on hold — but are expected to resume later in the year.Pereira, who guided Forest to Premier League safety with two games to spare last season after being appointed in February, was expected to sign a new deal this summer.While those talks have been set aside for now, the former Wolverhampton Wanderers head coach remains committed to Forest and positive about the coming campaign, according to sources briefed on the matter.Sources added that the Portuguese head coach feels he has much better job security at Forest than he did this time last year.He feels he is armed with a better squad, one that can be competitive in the Premier League; that they are capable of having a far better season than last year and that he will be supported in the transfer market this summer.Though he signed a new three-year contract with Wolves in September 2025, Pereira had concerns that the squad he had at Molineux, even after a late round of recruitment last summer, was not equipped to be competitive — and was then sacked in November after a winless start. But he and his coaching staff are confident about the coming campaign and their ability to get Forest on an upward trajectory.They understand that there is an inherent risk that, if the campaign starts badly, his position might immediately be weakened — but also know that a longer contract would not protect Pereira’s position if that was the case anyway.Pereira signed a three-year contract at Wolves last September but was sacked two months later (Dan Istitene/Getty Images)There have been no negotiations with any other clubs, despite some interest from the Saudi Pro League. Pereira is under contract until the end of the 2026-27 season, so there is no immediate pressure to renew, within a very different set of circumstances.Last summer, Wolves lost seven players who appeared regularly in the first-team squad in the second half of last season (Matheus Cunha, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Goncalo Guedes, Pablo Sarabia, Nelson Semedo, Tommy Doyle and Boubacar Traore) and signed six new faces (Fer Lopez, Jhon Arias, David Moller Wolfe, Jackson Tchatchoua, Ladislav Krejci, and Tolu Arokodare).Of those new additions, only Krejci had much of a role to play under Pereira or his replacement Rob Edwards, who eventually could not fend off relegation and himself departed Molinuex on June 11.Pereira believes only a handful of new additions are required at Forest, amid the belief that the squad he inherited underachieved, amid the chaos of a season that saw Pereira appointed as the fourth manager of the campaign in February.Forest are confident three or four new additions could be enough to add the strength in depth required, although the club will likely have to replace England midfielder Elliot Anderson, with Manchester City pushing hard to sign the former Newcastle United player.England international is attracting interest from elsewhere this summer (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)Following a turbulent campaign that saw Nuno Espirito Santo sacked in September, before Ange Postecoglou lasted only eight games in charge and former academy product Sean Dyche failed to have the desired impact on his return to Forest, some stability at the City Ground would be welcome.But positive results, as much as an extended contract, will decide whether Pereira is the man to oversee that.The 57-year-old did what was asked of him as he led Forest to safety, while injecting some much-needed positivity and calm back into the club and the team.If he can continue to inspire similar qualities and a similar level of performance in the coming campaign, then there should be no repeat of the chaos that has unfolded over the last year.Contract talks are expected to resume later in the year and sources say both parties remain positive about the future working together.Pereira’s challenge is to deliver the results that will ensure his second season at Forest goes better than his second at Molineux.