Nottingham Forest have been busy in the transfer market again after surviving their first season back in the top division in 23 years.
Last summer’s activity made headlines as Forest acquired a record number of recruits, and despite a slow start this time around, Steve Cooper has welcomed another massive assortment of players into his squad this summer.
Sports Mole summarizes and analyzes Forest’s summer transfer activity and what it could mean for the upcoming season.
In a similar vein to last summer, Forest have made significant investments in a massive influx of players, many of whom have arrived from abroad.
Many of the players, including new club-record acquisition Ibrahim Sangare, Odysseas Vlachodimos, Gonzalo Montiel, and Divock Origi, have a strong pedigree.
Players from seven different divisions have joined the club this summer, but an even busier summer last year paid off in the end, with Forest surviving on the season’s penultimate weekend.
Forest have also taken a risk on Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi, both periphery players at bigger clubs, but the latter has previously worked with Cooper at England junior level.
In a red shirt, Elanga has already shown remarkable promise.
Given Forest’s level of activity, it’s difficult to criticize anything they’ve done this summer, especially given how wisely they’ve spent their money.
However, their primary issue last season was surrendering goals, and the only central defenders they have signed are the young Murillo and Andrew Omobamidele.
Murillo is inexperienced and more of a long-term signing, while Omobamidele has only played five games at this level, so a more seasoned presence at the defense could have been beneficial for a team that allowed 68 goals last season.
Willy Boly, Moussa Niakhate, and Scott McKenna all missed significant time last season due to injuries, while Felipe has yet to fully recover.
Along with Chelsea, Forest were the club linked with the most players this summer, but the main targets the club missed out on were all players who were at the club last season. It was no secret that Forest wanted Renan Lodi to join on a permanent deal after impressing on loan from Atletico Madrid, but the Brazilian international sought Champions League football and instead joined Marseille, who ended up losing in qualifying for the competition. Dean Henderson and Keylor Navas both enjoyed good spells on loan last season too, with the former featuring in the first half of the campaign before Navas came in in January to replace the injured Manchester United loanee. United’s issues with signing a backup goalkeeper rumbled on all summer,
Morgan Gibbs-White was undoubtedly the key man in keeping Forest up at the tail end of last season, as the England Under-21 international hit a purple patch at the perfect time, scoring three goals in three weeks and earning man of the match against Southampton.
While the team managed to keep Gibbs-White, r’Tottenham Hotspus late interest in Brennan Johnson presented Forest with an offer they couldn’t reject.
On the same day that they broke their transfer record for Sangare, Johnson became the club’s record sale, moving to Tottenham for £47.5 million.
Johnson’s 29 goals in the previous two seasons will be a major loss for a team that was not exactly prolific in their first season back in the top flight, so Elanga and Hudson-Odoi will have to step up to fill his shoes.
Forest have outperformed expectations in the transfer window for the third time in a row, but the acquisition of Sangare is the most remarkable.
The Ivorian was one of Europe’s most sought-after midfielders, and the Premier League’s financial strength was on display once again, with Forest beating the opposition to his signature.
Strengthening in every area of the pitch also demonstrates that there is more of a plan in place than there was last summer, when Forest were accused of taking a scattergun approach to transfer policy.
Signing Elanga and Hudson-Odoi for a combined £20 million might potentially be a smart move, given the promise both have showed at bigger clubs, especially with Vlachodimos in goal.
