Ranking Every Single Nottingham Forest Signing under Marinakis

Ranking Every Single Nottingham Forest Signing under Marinakis

Nottingham Forest Blog

A Mammoth Ranking Task

Signings, eh? You love them and you hate them.

At Forest, at the moment, we hate them for the sake of not bloody having any at the moment apart from the smart addition of Xaver Schlager.

The industrious Austrian becomes the 156th signing of the Marinakis era in Nottingham, in his ninth year at the helm, and it begged a question from us... who would be stupid enough to try and rank every single one of them? Well, I am!

Make a cup of tea, or maybe a three-course meal, and flick through this list. Then, when you've aged and finished reading it all, feel free to shout at me on Twitter and call me incredibly rude names in passionate disagreement.

Here we go! (Wouldn't mind hearing that a bit more this summer)

Every Marinakis Signing: Ranked

156 - Harry Arter

Just a horrendous ordeal all around. Plaudits go to his agent for keeping him on the books for so long.

155 - Jonjo Shelvey

He came. He saw. He dropped a clanger at Villa Park. He got dropped. He threw his toys out of the pram. He put his own highlights on the telly for a girl. He fucked off.

154 - Hwang Ui-Jo

Never pulled on the shirt, which is about to become a theme for the next few entrants. Also a terrible person.

153 - Abdoulaye Diallo

No, you will never, ever convince me that this guy was actually real.

152 - Panagiotis Tachtsidis

Never played a game for us, and cried his eyes out on the way over from East Midlands Airport, as was his desperation to not play for us. Fun.

151 - Mohamed Drager

Cool name. No idea if is a cool footballer. Never played a Forest match, but had a few for the academy (despite being 25).

150 - Marko Stamenic

Arrived and went straight over to Olympiakos, and now is with Swansea. Actually quite a good player, but we never saw him.

149 - Rodrigo Ely

Allegedly a very good defender with over 100 La Liga appearances to his name, joining us when we were in mid-table Championship obscurity. Beats me, he never played and buggered off after a few months.

148 - Omar Richards

Signed when he was injured, named on the bench to cover that fact up once upon a time, still yet to play for us. It has been four years since we got excited over signing someone from Bayern Munich.

147 - David Carmo

Splitting hairs with a lot of these fellas down south of the list. Once again, he never played for us. Now with Olympiakos, obviously.

146 - Cuiabano

I actually thought this guy was quite good from the triple-deal that saw us land Jair Cunha and Igor Jesus. However, it seems he will never play for us.

145 - Joel Ndala

The 'last minute gift for Nuno'. Never played on his loan from Man City. Now doing his best Colin Farrell impression (he's 'In Bruges').

144 - Josh Bowler

For how good this lad was in the Championship and for how much we had chased him, you would have thought we would have played him. Nope. Now back at Blackpool after we did practically nothing for his career.

143 - Loic Bade

Huh. What could have been. Once again, never played a game for us but went on to win a Europa League and now plays for Bayer Leverkusen.

142 - Fouad Bachirou

Played about half an hour for us, and was never seen again. Did pop up at Matlock Town for a little spell, however, which was bizarre.

141 - Juan Fuentes

For all we know, this Spanish left-back could have been an amazing free signing. However, he broke his leg on his debut and retired the following year. Very unfortunate.

140 - Brandon Aguilera

Never really got a chance to show what he could do in red. Played about a millisecond of Premier League football and is now with Rio Ave. No relation to Christina, sources say.

139 - Ashkan Dejagah

Like Fuentes, got injured on his debut and was never seen again. Quite a good player in his career, but we never got the chance to see that.

138 - Leo Bonatini

Fairly prolific at Wolves. Dishwater at Forest. I can't scrub that Birmingham away performance from my grey matter.

137 - Stefanos Kapino

Apparently made four appearances for us. Apparently a half-decent shot-stopper. Beyond me, but I'll trust the internet there.

136 - Aro Muric

Conceded a cross and let another through his legs on his debut and looked awful for any other showings until a certain someone took his spot... for the greater good.

135 - Nuno Da Costa

The only striker in Forest history to finish his career there with negative goals, netting at the wrong end to confirm... that loss to Stoke. Shivers.

134 - Adama Diakhaby

The man with the greatest touch in the world of football. I remember him having one half-decent game, but that was about it.

133 - Rafa Mir

Doesn't deserve a comment.

132 - Nicolas Ioannou

Played a handful of games and looked quite good before getting a red card. Never got a look-in again. Now with Pafos, my favourite holiday destination. Lucky sod.

131 - Angus Gunn

Played 45 minutes in his season-long Forest career. Actually did quite well. Harsh to put him this low but he didn't do anything else.

130 - Andrey Santos

Zero minutes again for Andrey Santos in Nottingham Forest-Brentford — 99 mins spent on the bench. 🌳 #NFFC

He joined the club on loan from Chelsea in August after more than 10 loan requests over the summer.

Shut up, mate.

129 - Giulian Biancone

Played twice and then had his season ended through injury. Likeable, but now plays for Anderlecht. So fuck him.

128 - Braian Ojeda

I quite liked this angry little bastard in his few appearances for the club, but he quickly faded away before making a decent career for himself in MLS.

127 - Lorenzo Lucca

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

126 - Rodrigo Ribeiro

Decent young prospect, it seemed. To only have him on loan and not excercising our clause to buy him, however, made him pretty pointless.

125 - Hilal Soudani

A rocket of a shot and a body made of iron, but sadly with legs made out of tinfoil and crisps.

124 - Carl Jenkinson

Just abjectly terrible in a red shirt. That co-debut against Charlton with Gaetan Bong will live long in the mind for all the wrong reasons.

123 - Luke Freeman

Scored the final goal of the Sabri Lamouchi era with a rocket, but that was about it. Rather lethargic.

122 - Diogo Goncalves

Never got much of a look in as part of the triple-pronged Portuguese package with Gil Dias and Joao Carvalho.

121 - Gaetan Bong

Frozen out immediately after one of the worst debuts ever. Re-instated under Chris Hughton and actually had one or two okay games. Clearly liked behind the scenes as we won promotion. I can't hate him, but he wasn't great.

120 - Jordi Osei-Tutu

Jordi Osei-TwoGames as I like to call him, as that is all he ever managed to stay fit for at a go. Now a free agent after helping Bolton into the Championship last season.

119 - Xande Silva

Oh, Silva! Remember when he... when he - Erm. Errrrrrrrrrr....

118 - Luke Steele

Ruined Cesc Fabregas' Chelsea farewell and scored in a penalty shootout on his debut. Largely kept out of the team by Pantilimon afterwards. Was a striker in non-league not too long ago.

117 - Karim Ansarifard

I thought he should have had more of a chance, to be fair. If only to appease the swarms of Iranian supporters in our comments at the time. Finished a peach of a team move against QPR once, and I used to have a Twitter account dedicated to him. Enough about that...

116 - Miguel Angel Guerrero

No, he wasn't a fever dream. He was a fairly tidy-looking Spanish forward, though he never got a goal for us before very quickly getting shipped back off.

115 - Glenn Murray

He was clearly beyond the peak of his powers at the time, by his own admission, but did okay-ish and scored a couple of goals.

114 - Sam Byram

Was quality when he played, this one, but that sadly didn't end up being very often through an injury-ravaged season on loan.

113 - Chema Rodriguez

Arrived and looked the business before deciding he hated the Nottingham weather, getting homesick and very quickly leaving. Good times.

112 - Jonathan Panzo

Signed at a time where breaking in as a central defender was nigh-on impossible with Worrall, McKenna and Cook sat in front. Had one tidy display on the final day against Hull, before vanishing into the loan system before a quiet release.

111 - Matt Turner

Oh god, the horror. Started fairly well before a stream of comedic errors saw him displaced. But then put on a worldie to defeat Bristol City in a cup tie as his farewell display.

110 - Odysseas Vlachodimos

True to the name, very much a Trojan Horse of a player. Seemed to be the saving grace from Turner when he replaced him and played quite well, but ended up being just as bad as him.

109 - John Bostock

Wigan away won't be topped anytime soon, but he recovered from that and was quite underrated in my opinion. Has cult hero status across the Trent with Notts County.

108 - Andre Ayew

Signed by Cooper as he had a previous good relationship with him at Swansea. Didn't quite come to pass in a red shirt. See Tottenham (A) for more details.

Adding my own tweet below to show that, clearly, I haven't got a fucking clue what I am talking about at the best of times.

107 - Jason Cummings

The CumDog. He was alright. Cool tattoos and now plays in India, and for Australia nationally. He has just had his barnet done, and he does feel like Pirlo.

106 - Andreas Bouchalakis

Scored a pair of bangers on his debut and then faded away with the pace of English football a touch beyond him. Now found in Crete in his native Greece. The almighty Bouch.

105 - Michael Hefele

The big fucking German. Sorry, correction, the big fucking German who was okay-ish for a bit before sitting in the reserves for north of two years.

104 - Adlene Guedioura

A much-loved player back in the day, making an emotional return to the club. Had time for a couple of his trademark long-range goals, but wasn't quite as good this time around. If only that effort against West Brom went in...

103 - Loic Mbe Soh

Signing a talented young defender from PSG, as a Championship club, got the heart pounding a bit. He didn't amount to much, however, getting few chances in the first team.

102 - Claudio Yacob

Looked the part, most of the time, but fell out of favour in a change of management. I remember him being about dead after that famous 5-5 draw with Aston Villa.

101 - Richie Laryea

Legend has it that if you visit the City Ground in the dead of the night, and stand at right-wing attacking the Trent End, you can hear the distant, detached screams of a Canadian full-back desperately calling for the ball and being ignored on a debut he'd waited months for. Chilling stuff.

100 - Yohan Benalouane

A hot-headed way to start the top 100. Landed 9 cards, two of them red, in just a few Forest appearances. However, none of us will soon forget that masked goal against Derby County.

99 - Tyler Bindon

It felt harsh putting young Tyler this low, but hear me out. He hasn't played a minute for the club yet, spending last season with Sheffield United, but looks every bit a solid young prospect for the future. He isn't there yet, so can't go higher on the list, but he's not a Tachtsidis or Ely type of player to not play a game for us. He could be a good one.

98 - Pele

I wish it was that one.

97 - Carlos Miguel

Christ, he was big. But also not very good. Faked an injury after a clanger to Exter City and was never seen again.

96 - Costel Pantilimon

Christ, he was also big. Incapable of saving shots that were near those mammoth legs of his, and couldn't distribute a PDF let alone a long pass to the flanks, but he wasn't anywhere near the worst goalkeepers we have had. Way off the best, though.

95 - Tyler Blackett

One of those lockdown signings that, as we never saw him in the flesh, didn't quite feel real. I remember little of him, and I don't remember him being good, but he wasn't awful. Certainly not the fix to the left-back issues we had at the time.

94 - Albert Adomah

The lovely Uncle Albert. Had a few decent games in him, did the EFL stalwart, but lost favour surprisingly fast and was shipped to Cardiff on loan before being let go. Still playing now, at Walsall, at the age of 38.

93 - Cheikh Kouyate

Arrived on a free with a clear backup role in mind, and he did it decently. Not bad.

92 - Oleksandr Zinchenko

Absolutely incapable of defending, so it seems, and had more to do with going forwards. He wasn't great at that either.

91 - Wayne Hennessey

Arrived as a third choice and actually played a few games (which weren't amazing, in truth) but is clearly liked behind the scenes. Joined Forest again as a goalkeeper coach upon retirement and I think he's still there now.

90 - Gil Dias

Capable of the occasional good game, like Newcastle in the cup. Also capable of that Norwich City collapse.

89 - Anthony Knockaert

Arrived with a big-name fanfare in the lockdown season and played okay for the most part, but failed to show himself as the shining light of a pretty poor Forest team at the time, barring a few names.

88 - Emmanuel Dennis

Loves Rock City Thursdays. Hated trying to play football.

87 - Divock Origi

I wanted this to work for him so badly, but it just didn't. Had one or two flashes, but was never consistent. Actually made the last appearance of his career with Forest before being frozen out from Milan and retiring this summer.

86 - Molla Wague

Whichever youth coach decided to play this guy at centre-back and not as a fairly pacey, lofty striker has blood on their hands. A much better goalscorer than he was a defender.

85 - Lewis O'Brien

Beaten by us at Wembley and loved at Huddersfield and arrived as a double-deal with Harry Toffolo. Looked okay but ended up dropped, frozen out and buggered around MLS. Now a star in a promotion-chasing Wrexham side.

84 - Gustavo Scarpa

Arrived with his skateboard. Almost got assist of the century in an early appearance. Got scammed out of a load of money. Was played at centre-back in a game we were chasing once. Left.

83 - Gio Reyna

A pretty redundant signing, all-in-all. A former wonderkid who's star has waned, that did not quite get back to shining on loan at Forest. Got an assist once, though.

82 - John Victor

Aston Villa (A).

81 - Saidy Janko

Legs for days, this one. Good attacking defender, but had a tendancy to leave his brain behind when tracking back.

80 - Alex Milosevic

Remembered for a screamer against Middlesbrough and looked like a really strong addition. Was dropped by new management, released, and had a spat with a fan on Twitter.

79 - Barrie McKay

That debut goal against Millwall took some beating, but it was a beating that never arrived from the Scotsman. Had real potential to be a star, but was a bit inconsistent.

78 - Liam Bridcutt

I quite liked him. A big voice in the engine room capable of a few moments of quality, but was brushed under the carpet and let go after his maiden campaign.

77 - Douglas Luiz

He wasn't bad at all, when he could be arsed. Which was... three time? We'll always have that first half against Real Betis, chap.

76 - Ethan Horvath

Clanger against Middlesbrough on his debut aside, the American goalie wasn't all that bad as a deputy for Brice Samba. Won back-to-back Championship playoff titles at Wembley, playing as a sub for us before starting and winning with Luton the following year. Couldn't kick to save his life.

75 - Filip Krovinovic

I thought we had 'Krov' for longer than we did, but that gorgeous head of hair only graced us for six months or so. Solid little playmaker with a tough edge.

74 - Cyrus Christie

He was awful to begin with, but actually came quite good by the end of his season-long loan from Fulham. Just about forgave him for playing for Derby by the end of that season.

73 - Alfa Semedo

An industrious midfielder with a tough tackle, powerful right foot and decent lick of pace. Had the tendency to switch off, though. But I liked him, even if only to live out my dream of him playing for Forest like he did in my FIFA career mode.

72 - Remo Freuler

Right player, wrong time. He's a midfield conductor who can keep an engine room ticking over and a game at his pace, but he joined a Forest team that needed a hard-worker who could live with limited possession. That, he could not.

71 - Daryl Murphy

A big presence up front who netted a few solid goals for us. Marmite striker who split opinion seemingly by the week.

70 - Keylor Navas

The Twitter timeline on the day we signed the multi-time Champions League-winning goalkeeper was something to behold. Starter strongly against Leeds, but was fairly average from that point onwards. Loved to push shots straight to attackers.

69 - Gonzalo Montiel

Capable of either a worldie, or an absolute shit-show performance. Never in between, mostly the latter.

68 - Lee Tomlin

Brought many a smile to many a glum face back when he signed. An absolute gunman for a very short stay at the club, and a reminding shame that we didn't go for him permanently.

67 - Tendayi Darikwa

A promotion winner at Burnley with pace and strength in abundance. Looked a very solid player before being forced to bounceback from a very serious injury. He did that, though, and is a promotion winner once again as the captain of Lincoln City last season. That injury did end up making the career of Matty Cash, as a silver lining.

66 - Jack Robinson

Solid, no-nonsense and did get torn apart by Yannick Bolasie in that 5-5 with Aston Villa. Not a bad arrival at all, and left to take a chance in the Premier League that he had probably earned. Acted a twat against us in the playoffs, though.

65 - Willy Boly

A big leader in the background and fairly reliable played on the pitch for the most part when called upon. We all love Big Willy.

64 - Ramon Sosa

Never really got the chance to show what he could do on a consistent basis. Thanks for the goal away at Brighton, though. And for being the best player in my Ultimate Team at the moment (somehow).

63 - Jesse Lingard

Was he a 'flop'? Perhaps. Was he a massive character behind the scenes and a harmonising personality in such a tough season, as well as being a personified statement of intent from the club? Absolutely.

62 - James Ward-Prowse

Had a couple of blindingly good performances in him, but we never quite got to see that trademark set-piece ability. Largely redundant, otherwise.

61 - Andrew Omobamidele

I was quite surprised when we let the big Irishman depart permanently for Strasbourg. He took a long-awaited chance with us and looked the business as well, for such a young age.

60 - Eric Moreira

A solid young prospect with plenty more to give, one would reasonably assume.

59 - Cafu

CAFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

He loved every single minute of his time with us, was a solid player in the midfield and did get the chance to make a Premier League appearance as well. Love this guy.

58 - Lyle Taylor

Wasn't quite as prolific in our shade of red as he was for Charlton, but that brace against Bristol City is an evergreen memory of that promotion season. Quite the penalty run-up.

57 - Sammy Ameobi

Has perhaps one of the best non-scoring debuts in our recent history with his show away at Leeds. Was either incredibly good or completely off-balance in his displays, but I loved him.

56 - Nuno Tavares

One of the quickest players I can remember at Forest, and had all the physical attributes to be a real star. However, he was too fast for his own brain at times. Now a very highly-rated player in Serie A. Please don't shoot.

55 - Kieran Dowell

A mercurial playmaker with a wand of a left foot, Dowell was pretty damn good for us at either end of the season despite being rather absent through the middle. Scored a hat-trick, once upon a time. Now back in the Premier League with Hull.

54 - Joao Carvalho

Maybe the most hotly-debated player we have ever had, Joao Carvalho was a wizard without the chance to cast a spell. That display against Middlesbrough, one made after weeks of protests against Martin O'Neil's refusal to give him a chance, was absolutely mesmerising. A little lightweight for the Championship, but I do wonder if he would have acclimated and succeeded long-term in O'Neil hadn't dismissed him...

53 - Max Lowe

An injury-hit addition to our promotion-winning loan army, but a solid player when he was available. Netted the first goal of the Cooper years with a cross.

52 - Jota Silva

An angry, energetic little feret on the flanks was Jota Silva. Had a few goals in him and his passion and spirit from the bench was a real tool, but he was perhaps a bit too unpolished to truly thrive in the Premier League.

51 - Michael Dawson

An emotional return that worked well. Dawson's veteran instincts and incredible passing range showed life on the pitch for the old dog, on his return home from his years away in the Premier League with Tottenham and Hull City. Settled into a background role for a while, and was loved by all.

50 - Arnaud Kalimuendo

Top 50 now, and cracking into a player with a lot to prove this season. He was never given a consistent chance last term and was shipped out under... him, but Oliver Glasner seems to like him. Could be a good piece this season.

49 - Nicolo Savona

Might be off this summer, with Atalanta sniffing around, but I think he's an alright backup to have around. Had a penchant for a goal last season before an injury ended it early. A little suspect with the ball at his feet, and not necessarily the attack-heavy option we've become accustomed to.

48 - Samba Sow

Somewhere out there is a far-away universe. In that world, Samba Sow is not made of papier mâché and is able to apply his midfield-destroying abilities every single week. In this world, he was brilliant for the few months of a season he spent outside the physio's room.

47 - Dilane Bakwa

Signed to much fanfare last season, we haven't been able to see much of young Bakwa just yet. He has a hell of a passing range on him, but just lacks the confidence to use that outlandish pace. Another one to give another chance to under Glasner.

46 - Dan Ndoye

He started well with a goal and an assist from his opening two games, but Swiss superstar Dan Ndoye hasn't quite lifted the lid on those international talents in the East Midlands yet. With more time to acclimate and a successful World Cup behind him, he may just improve this season.

45 - Tiago Silva

I LOVED Tiago Silva at Forest, even if his corners were absolutely hopeless. He was a tricky grafter in the number ten and seeing him sold on the Forest to Olympiakos conveyor belt was disappointing at the time. I hope he is well, the angry little man.

44 - Luca Netz

A German left-back with a lot of exposure to the major leagues for his tender years, who had to wait a fair whack of time before getting a chance to play for us. He looked tidy when he did, and I think he'll be a rather good one to have around going forward.

43 - Dean Henderson

A very solid goalkeeper in the first half of that first season back in the top flight who liked a penalty (and still does). Incapable of saving anything shot from over 20 yards away, though.

42 - Yuri Ribeiro

A pacy, tidy and reliable left-back through those moments and near-misses as we chased promotion. Now back in the Championship with Blackburn, and still well-regarded in my heart.

41 - Alex Moreno

Signed to be a starter and didn't quite manage that, but locked Mohamed Salah up and then some once upon a time whilst mostly looking decent on the left of the defence. Absolutely loved the club as well, fist-pumping the crowd at the end of games he didn't even play in. Ooo, that sounded odd.

40 - Harry Toffolo

A bit-part player for most of his Forest spell, but capable of some extraordinary good moments and displays like his incredible goal-line clearance against Tottenham. Otherwise, a mental health advocate, a big part of our local community and an all-round top bloke.

39 - Morato

Pump the brakes - he's not that bad. He gets clowned on fairly often and has had some pretty disgustingly bad performances, but Morato has shown on many an occasion that he can do the job, especially towards the end of last season. He's like Toby Figs, but in the Premier League instead. There is better out there, sure, but I don't mind him.

38 - James McAtee

He didn't quite shine in his debut season on Trentside, but had a few glimpses here and there of what he can offer. He's a smaller player and the physical edge elludes him, but he could have a decent part to play this term.

37 - Tobias Figueiredo

This fella walked so that Morato could... well, also walk, but still decently enough. The epitome of the 'next man up' mentality we held for many a year and a capable, no-nonsense deputy to our central defenders. That red card against Aston Villa was pretty bloody daft, mind you.

36 - Jair Cunha

He had to bide his time in waiting for a chance and was probably tearing his hair out watching some of our defending last season, but Jair Cunha looks every bit of a top prospect. That, and he's absolutely ginormous.

35 - Danilo

Ah, end-of-season Danilo. A true treat for the eyes. I miss those gun-finger celebrations and that late season purple patch he always seemed to have. A vile leg break practically ended his Forest career, but now he's finding a new lease in Brazil and just played for them at a World Cup.

34 - Orel Mangala

A tidy, astute player on the ball capable of wriggling away from danger and knocking some good passes forward. I did think he was a little overrated at times, but in no terms a bad player. His sale was a big saviour in our PSR problems too. Now a non-entity at Lyon, sadly.

33 - Phillip Zinkernagel

Corrr, what a haircut. The Great Dane of our midfield was capable of some brilliant performances, and was one of the most reliable players across the entirety of that magical promotion campaign. That miss against Liverpool has to dock him a few points, but I still wish we signed him permanently upon our ascent.

32 - Ben Watson

He seemed useless at first, but then turned out to be a classy, industrious no-nonsense midfielder. Was the glue to our team for a short while, before being released with, bizarrely, no announcement from the club whatsoever.

31 - Felipe

No, I don't have a gun in my pocket and yes I am happy to see him. What a signing this veteran ended up being, with his passionate defending and outstanding front-flip celebrations (though the goal he used it on didn't count). He was only here for a blink of time, but made a mammoth impact within that.

30 - Moussa Niakhate

Injuried ravaged a large portion of Niakhate's career at Forest, but it did not put any of his qualities into dispute. A classy left-footer at the back with a huge throw-in, the Senegal star was a great player for us, and his sale like Mangala's helped us stay behind the line.

29 - Stefan Ortega

Is putting a number two goalkeeper who was only here for five months this high up a bit surprising? Maybe, but Ortega was very, very good for us. He led the way for us in Europe towards the latter end of the campaign and his performances against Porto will live long in my mind.

28 - Igor Jesus

A highly opinion-splitting forward is Igor Jesus, but I think he's a solid player. Netting north of 15 goals in your maiden season in a new country is pretty impressive work, and that came when he was suddenly thrust out of his backup role into a starting berth with Wood's injury. He's been on fire in pre-season and I feel a strong season under Glasner may be coming.

27 - Renan Lodi

Never fall in love with a loan player, as they say. Well, I still love Renan Lodi and seeing him make the jump to Saudi Arabia instead of a permanent City Ground move broke my heart a little bit. By his own admission, he only came to Forest to get minutes into the tank ahead of the World Cup, but he finished the season bawling his eyes out along with us all as we beat Arsenal to stay up. What a boy.

26 - Omari Hutchinson

He wavered in consistency from time-to-time last season, but ultimately I think Hutchinson is a great player to have. He is still very young, which I forget sometimes, and he put up a modest amount of numbers in his first term with us. He'll kick on further, I'm sure of it.

25 - Serge Aurier

Final 25, my fingers hurt but the mission goes on. Serge Aurier's arrival in the East Midlands brought a lot of questions, but the Ivorian answered them all with a series of excellent, experienced displays on the right of our defence. A hell of a player to have as we found our feet back in the big time.

24 - Scott McKenna

A giant part of our successful run to the Premier League in 2022 and a player with over 100 appearances for us. He's a big bloke at the back with an unsuspectingly good left-foot who liked to bundle forwards. He didn't hold that spot down quite as well in the top flight, but I will never forget how good he was in helping us get there.

23 - Sam Surridge

We are well into the promotion heroes here, and Super Sam Surridge had an outstanding impact upon his winter arrival in 2022. Seven goals, including a hat-trick against Swansea City, couple well with the power of Keinan Davis to ensure Lewis Grabban's absence would not be felt too harshly. A brilliant finisher and a noble bloke, and he's now having quite the career for Nashville in MLS.

22 - Keinan Davis

And what is Surridge without his accompaniment? If Surridge is the chisel, then Davis was our hammer. If Surridge was the surgeons knife, then Davis was the chainsaw. If Surridge was a precision demolition explosive, then Davis was the Tsar Bomba. His pace, his power and his energy was a brilliant addition to our forward line, shaking off worries over his proficiency and injury record when he came to us. Now with Udinese, he's having another big surge in his career. Go on lad.

21 - Nicolas Dominguez

He's got beautiful eyes, hasn't he? Anyway, the swap taking Freuler to Bologna and Dominguez to us might have been one of the most mutually-beneficial deals we've seen in years. He's a grafter with forward-thinking qualities and might just be one of our most underrated players.

20 - Ibrahim Sangare

We had to wait for Sangare to properly kick on to match the fanfare that surrounded his arrival, but he has been very important to us since that wait elapsed. He had to fight a lack of pre-season, injuries, AFCON and malaria before he could get going in red, but he's a midfield anchor that has proved very important to us a few years on from his arrival.

19 - Taiwo Awoniyi

Without his goals in 2023, we go down. It is as simple as that, and that stands as the reason why 'Big T' is so loved in these parts. He still has the penchant for the odd big goal here and there, which is testament to his fighting spirit after fighting through an induced coma just over a year ago. A trooper, a man mountain and a cult hero.

18 - Ola Aina

Potentially one of the best free transfers the Premier League has seen in years. Nigeria international Ola Aina has brought the Snapchat laughs to Nottingham Forest, but more importantly a formidable attacking impotus which has been so important to us in years gone by. He's fast, he's strong and he's a far better defender than when he arrived, despite some patchy form in moments.

17 - Callum Hudson-Odoi

Speaking of bargains, you'll be hard-pressed to find more value for money than we have had with Hudson-Odoi, since joining for spare change from Chelsea a few years ago. He's a dangerous man when cutting in from the left flank and his passing range is spectacular. He's not the explosive, rapid talent that was revered as one of the best youngsters in the world back in the day, but his qualities and value are obvious to this team.

16 - Anthony Elanga

He was only ours for two years, but what a pair of years they were. Anthony Elanga's arrival from Manchester United saw us land the perfect player for our counter-attacking system - an energetic and outrageously quick young winger who saw serious improvements to his end product during his time with us. His move to Newcastle hasn't yet gone in his favour, and I do wish he never left.

15 - James Garner

Speaking of Manchester United, sod them for messing us around for so long that we missed out on getting 'Jimmy G' in Nottingham permanently. He was a rare bright spark in a miserable COVID-led campaign and one of the chief stars in our promotion season. Everton are now reaping the rewards of signing him those years ago, with the 25-year-old now an England international and a real star of the mid-table.

14 - Chris Wood

I moaned, you moaned, we all moaned when Chris Wood was signed for a seemingly big fee back in the day. However, over the next two seasons, the Kiwi would shut us up and have us all singing his praises. Though a big injury has knocked his chances, potentially, for this season, that 2024/25 campaign was one of the best I've ever seen from a Forest striker.

13 - Steve Cook

A transformative signing and an absolute legend of a bloke - you'd do well to find a Red without fond memories of 'Cookie' - memories captained perhaps by his penalty against Sheffield United on the route to Wembley. He marshalled the already-solid defence of Joe Worrall and McKenna with grace and direction, and was a real catalyst to that season's dreams becoming a reality.

12 - Joe Lolley

Love you, Lolleh. An unassuming arrival from Huddersfield who won our hearts in the blink of an eye. He was up there as one of the very best players in the Championship in his prime, and I am ever so happy that he remained part of the team that got us back to the top flight. An absolute wand of a left-foot that I will never hold a bad memory of.

11 - Djed Spence

As Forest were the club that Spence rose his stocks to astronomical levels at, seeing him rise into an England international and star World Cup performer is a joy to watch. With us, he tore defences apart on a weekly basis, and was one of the best loan arrivals I think I have ever seen. I still miss him, I do...

PRE-TOP 10 Editor's Note: I mis-counted the bloody list, didn't I? I counted 156, and there's 155 on this list. As such, you'll see me skip from 10 straight to 8. Enjoy! I'm off to slap myself

10 - Lewis Grabban

What a player to start the top 10 with. Lewis Grabban was the perennial journeyman in his career, so seeing him finally settle at a club was very nice. He netted 12 goals on our way up for 56 in 149 for the club overall, and was in every sense of the word an excellent signing for the club.

8 - Jack Colback

I could waffle on for hours about Colback. How his versatility was so key to our promotion. How his tough-tackling nature gave us the bite we needed to finally go up. His penchanct for big goals. Instead, watch his goal against West Brom. Observe.

Yes, he meant it.

7 - Brice Samba

Although things seemed to end on a sour note for Samba at Forest he remains as one of the best goalkeepers I've ever seen us employ. An incredible shithouse with outlandish reflexes, I'll never forget his antics in the East Midlands Derby or his penalty shootout performance against Sheffield United to take us to Wembley. Now a France international and one of the better goalkeepers in Ligue 1, I do wonder what would have happened if he had stayed...

6 - Nikola Milenkovic

In the 2023/24 season, the number one issue with the team was our defending from set-pieces. What did we do? We signed one of the best aerial defenders in all of Serie A, and our prayers were answered. I'd quickly run out of superlatives to praise the 'Serbinator' if I waffled on, but he is consistently brilliant and a player I want to keep around for years to come.

5 - Matz Sels

Doubts were cast over the Belgian's arrival in our time of need a few years ago, with Turner and Vlachodimos driving the fanbase up the wall. Newcastle fans warned us and said he was no good, but he turned out to be brilliant. Game after game went by with extraordinary saves being made and he netted a Golden Glove when all was said and done. His form and fitness wobbled slightly last season but came back at the end, and our Belgian shot-stopper remains an excellent addition.

4 - Neco Williams

Well, if you've been reading along, you already knew who the top four were going to be. Perhaps before you even started reading. Neco Williams just about misses a spot on the podium, but he has been an outstandingly good addition since he arrived in our mammoth summer haul in 2023. The Welshman's stocks rise every month, as does the level he can consistently perform at, and he is a shoe-in for our starting XI. His contract expiration looms, and I do hope with all I have that he signs on once again.

3 - Murillo

Taking my bronze medal is one of the best hidden gems ever uncovered by a Premier League side. His arrival raised eyebrows, and nobody knew much about him at all, but the Brazilian has wowed ever since that day. His outlandish runs forward, his incredible pace and power and his penchant for taking on the hero balls and shots has made him a firm fan favourite. Will he stay forever? Almost certainly not. But whilst we have him, I shall enjoy the weekly show.

2 - Elliot Anderson

Coming in as the runner-up is our new record sale. The deal taking Vlachodimos to Newcastle for Anderson in return was an excellent PSR loophole, and it landed us with one of the best talents in the world. He was sold this summer for the then-British record £116m, and he is worth every single penny. He's one of the most talented and elusive midfield talents I have ever seen. However, another midfielder may have pipped him to the top spot...

1 - Morgan Gibbs-White

The talisman. The star turn. The best Forest player I have ever seen (though I'm 23 and that doesn't say much). Words cannot describe how much Morgan Gibbs-White means to Nottingham Forest. He was there, battling away with us as we fought against relegation multiple times and he is here now off of the back of his greatest individual season yet. Do I think we have more than one year left with him? No, I do not. But this man is a favourite to many with his incredible attacking talents, now with the goal-making-and-taking numbers to back that up. He represents the fighting spirit of the club with outstanding quality, and he has been worth every single penny of the money spent on him.

I shall shead a tear or 10 when he eventually leaves.

Louis Wheeldon
Louis Wheeldon Lead Writer and Editor

An avid gambler, football obsessive and loyal Nottingham Forest fan, Louis has been writing about football and wider sports since he was just 15 years old.

Armed with a Football Journalism degree from the University of Derby, he initially joined the Football Park team in April 2025 as a Freelance Writer, before quickly being offered a full-time position as the site's Lead Writer and Betting Strategist. His time working in football has taken him to every corner of the sports media landscape possible, with roles for GiveMeSport, Reach PLC and VAVEL included amongst the 15 different websites he has written for in the past, whilst his roles in club media include non-league sides Hucknall Town and Basford United - he can still be found on live radio commentary with the latter from time to time - as well as Nottingham Forest themselves.

During his tenure at GiveMeSport, Louis showcased his range by producing everything from historical deep-dives into Liverpool's greatest-ever finishers to tactical breakdowns. His expertise also extends to the betting markets, where he has provided sharp match analysis and predictions for fixtures such as England vs. Finland in the Nations League.

Louis holds a knowledge of the 92 and it's various combatants that is as varied as it is mildly concerning. He channelled this keen interest in the sport into a hopeful career in professional journalism back in 2018 with the launch of his own personal From12Yards blog whilst studying for his GCSE's, before expanding his list of clientele with articles on his beloved Nottingham Forest for a local newspaper and freelancing for different publications over a range of sports, including darts, professional wrestling, MMA, boxing and Formula 1 (he talks about Daniel Ricciardo a concerning amount).

View all articles by Louis Wheeldon →

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