Nottingham Forest's Promotion Heroes - Where Are They Now?

Forest's Promotion Heroes, Four Years On

As the saying goes, so much can change in a year. So imagine how much can change in the space of four years? Where Nottingham Forest are concerned... well, shit-loads.

The 29th of May, 2022, will go down as a famous, famous day in the recent history of Nottingham Forest both now and forever more. The sound of the final whistle ringing out at Wembley from honorary Red, Jon Moss (hehe), being immediately drowned out in a wave of vocal relief from tens of thousands of Forest fans who knew only misery in recent seasons is an evergreen memory for many a supporter, and will most likely be forever more. I've contradicted myself, as that's exactly what 'evergreen' means, but let's ignore that and press on.

It was a day that lit the fuse for such a rollercoaster ride ever since. From the highs of European qualification against the odds to the lows of consistent relegation battles and off-pitch noise, we have practically seen and done it all in the four completed seasons since our ascension back to the big leagues after more than two decades of waiting.

With Premier League season number five right around the corner for Nottingham Forest, it sent my mind racing back to a time that seems so far removed from the modern day, but also feels like it was 'just yesterday' in that ever-reliable, cliché paradox. We loved the bones off of (almost) every player in that promotion team, but with only one single member of that squad still in Nottingham, where do they all call home now?

Well, read on and find out!

The Gaffer - Steve Cooper

Nottingham Forest confirms the departure of head coach Steve Cooper.

Everyone at Nottingham Forest would like to thank Steve for his superb contribution to our football club and wish him well in his future endeavours.

— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) December 19, 2023

Though the time, ultimately, was right to say goodbye to 'Super Cooper', his departure remained one that pulled on the heartstrings when the above Twitter notification rolled onto the timeline.

He laid the foundations for success that Forest intend to stack on top of in the modern day, and the transformation he made to a team languishing at the foot of the Championship was as incredible as the fighting spirit he installed to keep us up in our first Premier League season upon our return.

Since his exit, Cooper went down the motorway and joined up with Leicester City where he received the axe just a few months into a very tough gig. They suffered relegation that term, and then again in the Championship last season and will now do battle in League One in this one. Tally-ho, chaps.

After that, he headed to Denmark with Brondby where he helped them to 4th in the Superligaen, before parting ways with them in May of this year. At time of writing, he is without a role.

The Goalies

Jordan Smith

Smudge.

The most recent Nottingham Forest Academy goalkeeper to make a first-team appearance and our former first-choice stopper, he spent most of the 2022/23 season - his last on Forest's books - on the bench on loan at Huddersfield Town. He then spent a year with Stockport County before heading north of the border to play for Hibs, where he remains to this day at the age of 31.

Ethan Horvath

An American shot-stopper who cut his teeth in Europe with Molde and Club Brugge, Horvath was an okay backup for Brice Samba during his time in the East Midlands and played from the bench at Wembley after the Frenchman got injured. He spent time on loan with Luton Town the season after, winning another playoff final, before spells with Cardiff City and Sheffield Wednesday.

Back in January, he went back to the United States for the first time as a senior footballer, and is now with the New York Red Bulls in MLS.

Brice Samba

He still has the keys to the city.

The man who un-knowingly denied our modern-day legend, Morgan Gibbs-White, of his penalty shootout effort in that famous night against Sheffield United, Brice Samba remains in place as one of our best-ever modern goalkeepers.

After his time at Forest seemingly ended on a strange note, he became one of Ligue 1's best goalkeepers with Lens firstly and then Stade Rennais, where he currently plays now at the age of 32. He's also a four-times-capped France international. What a stud.

The Defenders

Djed Spence

🚨⚫️🔵 Djed Spence to Inter, here we go! Verbal agreement in place now with Tottenham for England RWB.

Transfer fee worth €31.5m.

Full agreement also with Spence who wanted the move as revealed over recent days. Deal in place. pic.twitter.com/i4SS7Ngb0d

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 12, 2026

One on this list that shall be changing in the coming days, Djed Spence has had an up-and-down time since his loan at Forest but is now very much in the ascendancy.

A temporary signing from Middlesbrough that we knew fairly little about at the time, a rocket was lit on Spence's career at The City Ground with incredible displays week-on-week. A move to Tottenham followed which was initially mixed with loans to Stade Rennais, Leeds United and Genoa, until he finally broke in, impressed, and became an England international. At the World Cup this summer, he was one of England's most important players.

Despite that, Tottenham are fine with letting him go this summer and, as the tweet above dictates, one club in Italy have won that race - Inter Milan.

Tobias Figueiredo

Mr 'next man up' himself. Toby Figs was the Morato of old - the steely, no-nonsense Portuguese defender capable of outlandish defensive displays and equally-outlandish moments of stupidity. I loved him.

He was released that summer and spent a year with Hull City, before spells across Brazil with Fortaleza permanently with loans at Criciuma and Athletico Paranaense. He left Fortaleza on mutual terms in March of this year, and went over to South Korea with Jeju SK in their top-flight.

Joe Worrall

An academy man who added bite and spirit since his first-team debut, Worrall's performances in that promotion year were outstanding.

He made well over 200 appearances for the club he joined when he was just 14 whilst leading the club to promotion and subsequent Premier League survival - that performance against Chelsea won't be wiped from my mind anytime soon.

His Forest career ended after some... creative differences? He spent the rest of 2023/24 on loan with Besiktas, who loved him, before jumping over to Burnley who he helped promote, but could not save from relegation. He is still there as of now.

Loic Mbe Soh

An impressive young defender coming from PSG to Championship middlemen Nottingham Forest seemed like the stuff of dreams, but it never really panned out that way for Mbe Soh with a few loans and just 13 Forest appearances paving the way for the French-born defender. His contract ended in the summer of 2024 before going to Belgium with Beerschot, and he stayed in Belgium with a move to Sint-Truiden in the most recent winter window.

Gaetan Bong

Horrendous debut and questionable further performances aside, Gaetan Bong was clearly well-liked behind the scenes at Forest and played his part in our promotion. He made his final appearance for the club in the winter, which ended up being the last of his career before he retired.

Richie Laryea

I'll never forget this man's desperate screams for a pass to him on his debut against Swansea, which he had to wait ages to get. A new arrival from Canadian side Toronto FC in MLS, he went back there on loan almost as soon as he arrived and then spent time with the Vancouver Whitecaps on loan too. He re-joined Toronto permanently in February 2024, and has remained there ever since.

Max Lowe

His club-level loyalty truly knows no bounds, this bloke.

A Derby County academy graduate who got a shot in the Premier League with Sheffield United, joined us on loan to win promotion and then went to Steel City rivals Sheffield Wednesday. Goodness gracious.

When fit, he was solid for us indeed, and he remains with the Owls for a third campaign in League One as they look to rebuild from their cataclysmic ownership woes.

Jonathan Panzo

We never got to see much of Panzo, a well-liked former Chelsea defender who we picked up from French side Dijon for defensive cover.

We loaned him to Coventry, Cardiff and Standard Liege before flogging him to sister club Rio Ave, who then let him go to Birmingham City on a short deal last season. They released him this summer, and he is now looking for a new club as a free agent.

Scott McKenna

Brick. Shit. House.

The massive Scotsman has taken on a European tour since ending his very-successful time with Forest in 2024. We loaned him to Copenhagen for half a season until his contract expired, where Spanish club Las Palmas picked him up soon after. He was only there for a year before moving to Croatia with Dinamo Zagreb in 2025, where he landed a league-and-cup double in his debut season before representing Scotland at this year's World Cup.

I'm off to go watch that assist against Blackpool again.

Steve Cook

A pivotal, amazing signing made by Forest in a very impressive winter window that also saw us land Keinan Davis and Sam Surridge, who also played massive roles in taking us up. But Cook was near-on transformational to an already-solid defence that year.

After thumping home a penalty against Sheffield United and making 14 further appearances for us to help us stay up, he left and became a popular figure at QPR back in the Championship. His contract at Loftus Road expired this summer, and he made the switch to Wycombe Wanderers on a free deal in League One. And what lucky bastards they are to have him, indeed.

Jordi Osei-Tutu

I'm not sure poor Jordi really counts, as he made just four appearances for us but, hey, he was at the club. He played a bigger part in a different promotion campaign after leaving his loan with us in January, helping Rotherham into the second tier, and then went to Germany with VFL Bochum and Greece on loan with PAS Giannina. He went to Bolton Wanderers for another two year spell after that, and was released as a free agent this summer after helping another club to another promotion. Lucky charm?

The Midfield

Jack Colback

The Swiss Army Knife himself and the scorer of the greatest goal I've watched in person, that he definitely, undoubtedly meant to do.

Sunderland's favourite man became a firm fan-favourite across two loans and a permanent stay with Forest, and helped the club go up and survive with a start at Wembley and 11 Premier League appearances the next season. He spent another two years with QPR alongside Steve Cook on a free transfer, before joining non-league side Anstey Nomads (very) briefly before calling it a day on his career. The short answer - retired.

Philip Zinckernagel

Besides being a sexy bastard and a tricky workhorse of an attacking midfielder, Great Dane Philip Zinckernagel is also a sexy bastard.

He had spent the year as part of our incredible loan army that season, which was the most important part of our ascension, and hasn't really nailed a long-term stay at a club down since. I would have loved Marinakis to buy him that summer, and he sort of did but for Olympiakos instead. He wasn't there long, spending time in Belgium with Standard Liege on loan and Club Brugge permanently, before heading to Bodo/Glimt on another loan and Chicago Fire in MLS. He's currently one of the best players in the league and was part of the All-Stars squad this summer, and is also a sexy bastard.

Cafu

CAFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU.

An absolute cult hero at Nottingham Forest who clearly loved every second he spent with us and every minute played. I'm very happy that he got to play a Premier League game in his career, if only briefly, before spending a season with recently-promoted Rotherham United. He spent the following two years in Turkiye with Kasimpasa, and is now in Cyprus with AEL Limassol.

Braian Ojeda

He played a very small part in that promotion season, mostly under he shall not be named at the start of the campaign, but this angry little guy has carved out a respectable MLS career since departing in 2022 for Real Salt Lake. He impressed with them for three-and-a-half years before switching to Orlando City, where he resides now - albeit with a Jones fracture that will keep him shelved until Autumn.

Ryan Yates

Mr Nottingham Forest himself, and the only player from that season's squad still on the playing books in 2026.

In my mind, I like to pretend that the cross from James Garner at Wembley went in off of him and not Huddersfield's Levi Colwill. His presence in the squad has been debated since God was a lad, and still is to this very day. He represents all of the highs and lows we have experienced as a club in his 238 league appearances and eight years since his debut under Martin O'Neil, and he is now truly part of the furniture at the club.

Though his role as a player may have diminished slightly, there will never be any lacking of love from my side for Ryan Yates.

James Garner

A wizard of a midfielder that season and a man who I will still hold a grudge against Manchester United over.

The Red Devils urm'd and ahh'd over whether or not they wanted to sell him to us or not, forcing us to sign other midfield targets with the season well underway. Once we'd done that, they decided that they did want to sell him after all, and Everton were the lucky club who now get to enjoy him as they have done for four seasons now, in which time he has become an England international but missed out on this summer's World Cup squad.

What could have been, eh? At least we will always have that assist at Wembley.

The Attack

Lewis Grabban

Another modern-day cult hero at Nottingham Forest and the man who led our attack as a striker and team as a captain for several years, ending with that promotion at Wembley.

I will forever wish that Grabban got a chance to kick a Premier League ball for Forest, but his contract came to an end that famous summer after he turned down a new one. He went to Saudi Arabia with Al-Ahli but quickly departed over a wage dispute that saw him get a payout from them, and he retired not long after. Though his playing days are done, he is back on Nottingham Forest's books as an academy coach.

If there are any strikers in our youth sides looking to poach goals, there are few better to learn from...

Keinan Davis

We tried to get the big man back in Nottingham permanently, but the fee was just too high for the man-mountain of a striker who spent some glorious months with us on temporary terms from Aston Villa.

He spent the season after his one with us back out on loan with Watford before joining their sister club Udinese in 2023. He started quietly, but roared into life with them last season with 10 Serie A goals. Now aged 28, it certainly would be interesting to see if he can keep rising and get England sniffing around him...

Sam Surridge

An instinctive, clinical finisher who combined well with Davis' mighty strength to deputise for an injured Grabban superbly well in the back half of the season. Sam Surridge was loved by all for his performances in the Garibaldi, but Premier League opportunities remained elusive for the former Bournemouth striker.

He scored once from 20 Premier League appearances, mostly from the bench, in our returning season before bidding us farewell in the summer of 2023 for MLS outfit Nashville. He has taken America by storm ever since as one of the league's very-best strikers, and went blow-for-blow with a certain Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race last season. He finished 10 behind him but who cares?

Alex Mighten

A hot prospect who was much-loved at the club, Alex Mighten managed to get one Premier League appearance under his belt after years of promising displays, before taking on a string of loans with the likes of Sheffield Wednesday, Port Vale and KV Kortrijk in Belgium as well as Danish club Nordsjælland. He joined San Diego FC before their first-ever MLS campaign in 2024, and is still there now. And he has his own clothing brand - go on lad.

Xande Silva

He didn't get up to much in a Forest shirt from mostly-substitute appearances, and has been bouncing around the clubs since his one-year stay at Forest came to an end in 2023. He spent a solid year in France with Dijon before spending two in, you guessed it, MLS with Atlanta United and St. Louis City before heading to Israel with Hapoel Tel Aviv last summer, where he was sent off eight minutes into his debut.

Joe Lolley

Love you, Lolleh.

A wizard on the right flank with a left foot blessed by God in his prime days at Nottingham Forest. He wasn't as big a part of the promotion campaign as he was in prior squads, but his best days in red were absolutely glorious indeed.

His time at Forest ended on a bitter note with Steve Cooper, as he mentioned on the Forest Focus Podcast recently, but remains a much-loved instalment in those Championship years.

These days, he calls Australia home after four brilliant seasons with Sydney FC, who regard him as one of their greatest-ever foreign signings. He left them this summer, and will embark on a new Australian adventure with Newcastle Jets this season at the age of 33.

Brennan Johnson

Arguably the best til last? For my money, that would be the case.

Brennan Johnson shot into stardom with his outstanding performances for Forest in his two seasons as a full-blown first-team talent. He netted 29 goals in a little over 100 appearances for Nottingham Forest in the end, eight of them in the Premier League and few more important than his finishes against Sheffield United in the playoffs across both legs, and this prompted a mega-money move to Tottenham in the summer of 2023 after a window-long debacle.

He succeeded for Tottenham in general, with his 18 goals in the 2024/25 season seeing him land their top goalscorer accolade whilst also scoring the winner in the Europa League final against Manchester United, winning Spurs their first trophy since 2008. His performances waned somewhat over the next season, however, and he was sold to Crystal Palace in the winter window where things would not go Brennan's way. He's already found a new club, with the Eagles swapping him for Dwight McNeil, meaning Johnson now calls Everton home with James Garner.

Honourable Mentions

• Mohamed Drager - Espérance de Tunis (Tunisia)

• Rodrigo Ely - Almeria (Spain)

• Harry Arter - Free Agent

• Harry Arter's Agent - probably on a gold yacht somewhere

• Carl Jenkinson - Free Agent (Most recently Bromley)

• Nicholas Ioannou - Pafos (Cyprus)

• Nuno Da Costa - İstanbul Başakşehir (Turkiye)

• Joao Carvalho - Estoril (Portugal)

• Jordan Gabriel - Port Vale (England)

• Tyrese Fornah - Northampton (England)

• Lyle Taylor - Chelmsford (England)