Forest finished 17th in their second season back in the Premier League, a small decline from the previous campaign in which they finished 16th on 38 points to consolidate their status as a Premier League campaign.

Dismissing manager Steve Cooper halfway through last season, Forest hired former Spurs coach Nuno Espirito Santo in his place. After a slight bounce in form immediately after Nuno took his place, Forest fell back into mediocrity, and only secured survival on the second to last matchday after Luton fell to defeat.

There were bright spots in an overall poor season, such as the excellent form of main playmakers Callum Hudson-Odoi and Morgan Gibbs-White, but it was an underwhelming nine months for Forest, and they will be looking to come back stronger in August with some key additions to their squad.

Some of these additions have already been made, including young midfielder Elliot Anderson from Newcastle, and Nikola Milenkovic from Fiorentina, who impressed for Serbia at Euro 2024. There is certainly hope for Nottingham, but they need to be able to pick up results with more consistency if they are to avoid prolonging inevitable relegation.

Best result: Nottingham Forest 2-1 Manchester United. (Forest: Dominguez 64’, Gibbs-White 82’. United: Rashford 78’).

Worst result: Fulham 5-0 Nottingham Forest. (Iwobi 30’, 74’, Jimenez 34’, 54’, Cairney 86’).

Who is the Nottingham Forest manager for 2024/25?

Nuno Santo.jpg

Nuno Espirito Santo has quite the job on his hands at Forest. Despite spending almost £430 million on transfers since their arrival in the Premier League, they are yet to see a significant return on many of their investments, and now have a handful of players at the club who are earning a disproportionate salary in comparison to their on field performances.

There is quality in their squad, and they have potential to finish in the upper mid table if they string some good performances together, but they have not been able to find that sort of consistency as of yet. It is now up to Nuno to find the winning formula that will see Forest rise to new heights.

A talented manager, as he displayed in his time at Wolves, and very capable of taking a struggling team up the standings, Nuno appears to be the right fit for Forest as a long term coach, but he needs to start the new season quickly, or he could be in trouble.

Who is Forest’s player to watch in 2024/25? Callum Hudson Odoi

Having been signed for a bargain £3 million at the beginning of last season, Hudson-Odoi finally started to show some glimpses of his storied potential last season. Formerly Chelsea’s ‘next big thing’, he had failed to deliver on that promise while at the blues, resulting in multiple unproductive loan spells.

However, since leaving London permanently at the start of last season, Hudson-Odoi started playing like a man without shackles, and was able to show what he was truly capable of. Over the winter period he was excellent, helping Forest to crucial wins against Manchester United and Newcastle, points which would eventually secure survival.

He even managed to score a classy goal against his former employers on the second to last matchday of the season, showing them what they had decided to be rid of once and for all.

Playing on the left, and one of the best when it comes to cutting in onto his right, expect Hudson-Odoi to develop considerably next season.

Season Prediction

In their two seasons since returning to the premier League, Forest have rarely excelled, and have instead been relying on those rare shock results against the big sides to maintain their lower mid-table status. However, that can be sustainable for only so long.

With their history in heavy transfer recruitment, Forest now need to make sure they do their due diligence on a target to decide whether he is the right player for them, instead of just signing big names here, there and everywhere. With so many expensive signings flopping in the last couple of years, the Forest fans are thirsting for a success story to finally come from their forays into the market.

If they make the right moves, then one or two could have the Cole Palmer to Chelsea effect and see them rise through the table. But given their short history since returning to the top flight, it looks unlikely that they will focus on the correct business, instead signing players who don’t fit, and relying on individual brilliance to keep them up rather than teamwork.

They will stay up, but it remains to be seen how much longer that can last.

Prediction: 17th.

Journalist

Harry Pascoe

Lead Writer

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