Forest Green allow Robbie Savage to speak to another club amid Peterborough links

Forest Green Rovers have given manager Robbie Savage permission to speak to another club, and he will miss Tuesday’s home match against Wealdstone. The development puts the National League club’s immediate match preparations in the hands of its other coaches while reports link Savage with the vacant Peterborough United job. Neither a departure from Forest Green nor an appointment at Peterborough has been confirmed.

Assistant manager Jonathan Gould confirmed the permission in comments to Forest Green’s media, quoted by The Non-League Football Paper. ‘He’s been given permission by the club to speak to another football club and then we’ve got to get on with our jobs,’ Gould said. He identified no club in that account. BBC Sport also reported the permission and Savage’s planned absence against Wealdstone.

Who will take charge against Wealdstone?

Gould said he, Jan Klukowski and Josh Bowen would lead Forest Green for Tuesday’s game. Asked whether Savage would be with the squad, he replied: ‘No, Robbie won’t be with us tomorrow.’ The match follows Forest Green’s 3-3 draw away to Sutton United on Saturday, giving the coaches a short turnaround after the news reached the squad.

According to Gould, the players were told about the situation on Monday morning. He said the staff wanted them to have clear minds about what was happening at the club before the match. Gould also pointed to the coaching group’s work together through pre-season and said its focus was on helping the players perform against Wealdstone.

Why has Peterborough been mentioned?

Peterborough United are seeking a manager after parting company with Luke Williams on 19 September. BBC Sport linked Savage to the vacancy but reported Forest Green’s permission as permission to speak to another club, without identifying that club as Peterborough. The Non-League Football Paper likewise described Peterborough’s interest as reported rather than confirmed by either club.

Peterborough’s search comes with the League One side 23rd in the table, according to The Non-League Football Paper. The publication said Williams left after a 2-0 defeat to Doncaster Rovers. BBC Sport reported that Peterborough had won one of its first eight league games. Those results explain the urgency around the vacancy, but they do not establish which candidate the club will choose.

The72 reported on Monday that Savage and Matt Bloomfield were due to be interviewed for the job. It attributed that update to the Peterborough Telegraph. That is a further reported detail about the search, rather than confirmation from Peterborough that an interview with Savage has taken place. The reviewed reports contain no response from Peterborough establishing whether it formally approached him.

Savage was asked on Saturday whether he had heard from Peterborough. ‘I don’t know, I’ve got a game to prepare for and I’m really excited to watch my team,’ he told BBC Radio Gloucestershire, according to BBC Sport. His answer preceded Gould’s Monday confirmation that Forest Green had given him permission to hold talks, so it does not identify the club involved in those talks.

Savage’s time at Forest Green

Forest Green appointed Savage on 1 July 2025 after he had managed Macclesfield Town. His first season at Forest Green ended with a seventh-place finish and defeat in the National League play-off eliminators, BBC Sport reported. The current season has brought a different early league position, but the club remains under his management in the reports reviewed on Monday.

The next confirmed arrangement is for Gould, Klukowski and Bowen to oversee the Wealdstone match without Savage. Gould said the coaching staff had to continue its work with the players. Whether Savage holds talks with Peterborough, stays at Forest Green or leaves for another club remains unresolved in the published accounts.