Nottingham Forest Season Preview
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Nottingham Forest Season Preview

31/07/24 19:08

Nottingham Forest Season Preview

The City Ground.jpg

Here is everything you need to know about Nottingham Forest ahead of their 2024/25 Premier League campaign.

Who have Forest signed in the summer transfer window so far?

Elliot Anderson from Newcastle United - £35 million.

David Carmo from Olympiakos - £13 million.

Morato from Benfica - £12.6 million.

Nikola Milenkovic from Fiorentina - £12 million.

Ramon Sosa from Talleres - £9.3 million.

Jota Silva from Vitoria Guimaraes - £5.9 million.

Marko Stamenic from Red Star Belgrade - £4.6 million.

Carlos Miguel from Corinthians - £3.3 million.

Eric Da Silva Moreira from St. Pauli - £1.2 million.

James Ward-Prowse from West Ham United - Season long loan.

Who have Forest sold so far this transfer window?

Moussa Niakhate to Lyon - £27 million.

Odysseas Vlachodimos to Newcastle United - £19.8 million.

Orel Mangala to Lyon - Loan made permanent for £19.7 million.

Remo Freuler to Bologna - £3.9 million.

Brandon Aguilera to Rio Ave - Undisclosed.

Joe Worrall to Burnley - Undisclosed.

Marko Stamenic to Olympiacos - Season long loan.

Josh Bowler to Preston North End - Season long loan.

Manni Norkett to Cheltenham Town - Season long loan.

Jonathan Panzo to Rio Ave - Season long loan.

Lewis O'Brien to Los Angeles FC - Season long loan.

Dale Taylor to Wigan Athletic - Season long loan.

David Carmo to Olympiakos - Season long loan.

Jamie McDonnell to Colchester United - Season long loan.

Scott McKenna to Las Palmas - Free transfer.

Cheikhou Kouyate - Contract expired.

Harry Arter - Contract expired.

Wayne Hennssey - Contract expired.

Loic Mbe Soh - Contract expired.

Felipe - Retired.

Nottingham Forest 2024/25 Home Kit

Nottingham Forest 2024/25 Away Kit

Who are Forest playing on the opening day of the season?

Nottingham Forest vs Bournemouth.

The City Ground.

3pm, Saturday 17th August.

Where can I watch Nottingham Forest vs Bournemouth?

There is no TV coverage for the game, but commentary is available on TalkSport and/or BBC Radio 5 Live.

What are Forest’s opening five fixtures?

Southampton vs Nottingham Forest - Saturday 24th August.

Nottingham Forest vs Wolves - Saturday 31st August.

Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest - Saturday 14th September.

Brighton vs Nottingham Forest - Sunday 22nd September.

When do Nottingham play rivals Leicester City in 2024/25?

Leicester City vs Nottingham Forest - Saturday 26th October.

Nottingham Forest vs Leicester City - Saturday 10th May.

Last five results when Forest have played Leicester:

  • 14/01/2023: Nottingham Forest 2-0 Leicester City.
  • 03/10/2022: Leicester City 4-0 Nottingham Forest.
  • 06/02/2022: Nottingham Forest 4-1 Leicester City.
  • 16/05/1999: Nottingham Forest 1-0 Leicester City.
  • 12/12/1998: Leicester City 3-1 Nottingham Forest.

Where did Nottingham Forest finish last season?

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

Hudson-Odoi.jpg

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.

Benji Kosartiyer
Journalist
Harry Pascoe | Writer at Football Park

Discover Harry Pascoe, a Football Park writer sharing insightful football content every week. Explore his experience here.

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