NFFC News None Transfer Related

[Sniffer Dog (Admin)]

7 years now and not a thing has happened and we seem no closer. 7 years.

Crazy isn't it?

Even Randall the master spin doctor seems to have shut up (thankfully).

[JohnG]

Bridgford Stand is being renamed on Sunday to John Robertson Stand

[Sniffer Dog (Admin)]

Bridgford Stand is being renamed on Sunday to John Robertson Stand

I am fully behind that decision.

[JollyLollyAussie]

Brilliant news!

[ac_vodka]

Just moved to JR stand for next season ;)

[Salvatore Matrecano]

Im not always a huge fan of Percy but he has written an excellent piece today, sums up our season with a few behind the scenes insights and plans going forward.

I will copy it in full below but if that in any way gets us into trouble let me know and I will delete.

[Salvatore Matrecano]

Nottingham Forest’s Netflix-worthy season of drama

Four managers, epic nights in Europe and boardroom tensions: club’s roller-coaster campaign had all the makings of a blockbuster docuseries


After four different managers, a £200m summer spend, glorious European nights and a late scramble to safety, it has been yet another mad roller-coaster season for Nottingham Forest.

With so much drama inside 10 months, you get the sense that Netflix is missing a trick by not descending on the City Ground to film their latest blockbuster series.

Morgan Gibbs-White captured it perfectly a few weeks ago: “Nottingham Forest isn’t Nottingham Forest without all the ups and downs. It’s been a hell of a journey. We put the fans through stress but we hope they realise it’s all worth it.”

It was the afternoon of August 22 when it became clear that this was not going to be an ordinary season. Nuno Espírito Santo casually dropped a hand grenade in a press conference by claiming he and owner Evangelos Marinakis were “not as close” and their relationship had changed. He was incredibly frustrated with the presence of Edu Gaspar, the newly appointed global head of football (more on him later), and was gone a few weeks later.

Since Nuno’s acrimonious exit, Forest’s players have worked under Ange Postecoglou, Sean Dyche and now Vítor Pereira in one season. Postecoglou lasted just 39 days. Dyche started well but ended up alienating many of the players with the sergeant-major vibes that he has often claimed was a media invention. It has been Pereira, sacked by Wolves in November, who has proved the calming influence. He is close to signing a new contract and has been the perfect appointment for this squad.

Pereira has put his arm around the players and allowed them to play with freedom. On his first day, he addressed them and said: “If this goes wrong, it’s on me and not you.”

So much upheaval could have been an easy excuse for these players. Historically, so many managerial changes at other clubs have usually ended in relegation. Yet they have completed the job of retaining Premier League status, while also reaching the semi-final of the Europa League. Those stirring European nights will linger long in the memories of the players and supporters. Filling the squares and towns of Seville, Amsterdam, Istanbul and Porto, those fans fully embraced the club’s return after 30 years. The target from Marinakis is to get those evenings back quickly.

Amid all the chaos of Forest’s Premier League campaign, it has to be pointed out that they have still secured their second-highest points total since promotion in 2022. They end this campaign on 44 points , which is more than they managed in 2022-23 (38) and 2023-24 (32). The players are a very tight-knit group, and there was a hastily arranged party at the training ground on Friday to celebrate a draining campaign.

Forest will now prepare for the summer, and are determined to retain the core of their squad. That is a stance supported by Marinakis and Pereira. There is an acceptance that Elliot Anderson will be in high demand and may be sold. Manchester City and Manchester United are both very interested and a decent World Cup for the midfielder could bring other heavyweights to the table. Yet Forest will only sell him at market value and Marinakis is using the £115m sale of Moisés Caicedo from Brighton to Chelsea in August 2023 as the benchmark. It means Anderson is likely to eclipse the transfer record for an English player set by Declan Rice (£105m) almost three years ago.

Forest expect interest in other stars such as Gibbs-White, Murillo and Neco Williams but are intent on keeping them. Murillo signed a new contract on Saturday in an early statement. There is no pressure to sell this summer to comply with financial rules, and the £55m sale of Anthony Elanga to Newcastle last July will go into this year’s set of accounts for 2025-26.

Danilo (£19m) and Ramón Sosa (£10m) were also sold before the end of the last financial year. The club’s position on £25m signing James McAtee remains the same as January. Rival clubs have inquired about the England Under-21 international’s availability after limited opportunities this season but Forest are fully supportive of him.

“There are things McAtee can do in training that nobody else can,” said one Forest official recently.

They believe McAtee will flourish next season, which is a belief shared for many of the other signings from last summer. One likely sale, however, will be forward Arnaud Kalimuendo to Eintracht Frankfurt with his loan converted to a permanent deal worth £23m.

orest do not expect to do much business over the next few months. They may look for cover in some areas but it is understood that it could be relatively quiet with up to four new signings. This is Forest, though, and anything could happen.

New contracts are on the agenda for Williams, their player of the season, while midfielders Ibrahim Sangaré and Nico Domínguez are also in line for deals.

Pereira is expected to sign his new deal in the near future, with talks at an advanced stage.

That is the stability that Marinakis is determined to instil. Contrary to his reputation, he does not want to be a trigger-happy owner. He will argue that the changes were all necessary, and Nuno’s exit was self-inflicted. Postecoglou was sacked after eight games as it was very evident early on that it was a mistake. Aside from the first half of Forest’s return to Europe at Real Betis – when Postecoglou had them playing like prime Barcelona – it was a difficult experience.

Dyche was a sensible appointment who had always wanted the job. It has to be remembered that there were some memorable moments, but the poor performances made your eyes bleed.

Marinakis became aware of the tension between Dyche and influential members of the dressing room. He was implored by those players to make a change or risk relegation.

Want some further evidence of this crazy season? During Dyche’s tenure, he was very concerned about the fitness of the players, particularly with the balancing act of the Europa League. Forest agreed a deal with Everton to appoint a highly rated fitness coach, whose official start date was February 12: the day Dyche was sacked. Unsurprisingly, it was mutually agreed that he would leave soon after.

The demise of Edu
There have been many other changes. Chief football officer Ross Wilson departed to take a similar role at Newcastle, which was a big blow to Marinakis. The exit of Edu Gaspar is also expected to be made official soon, and this particular appointment has been a disaster.

It was not just the spectacular fall out with Nuno, either. Edu’s tenure began to properly unravel in November, after the 3-0 win at Premier League champions Liverpool under Dyche. Marinakis places huge emphasis on his club being a family and this was a special occasion for everyone to remember together. So you can only imagine his surprise when he discovered that Edu had left the match before it had even finished. It is understood that Edu departed Anfield around 10 minutes before full time. Marinakis was angry at such a perceived slight on the club and players.

Edu’s start had already been difficult after the disintegration of his relationship with Nuno. Yet his early exit from Liverpool ensured that the Brazilian’s card was marked. It went downhill rapidly from there. Edu was marginalised to such an extent that when Dyche was sacked, the events of that evening only underlined his lack of involvement. Telegraph Sport understands that, after the 0-0 draw with Wolves, Edu was blocked from entering the boardroom as discussions ramped up over Dyche’s future.

Edu was given no option but to wait in the City Ground car park for over two hours. It was only when Dyche’s dismissal was confirmed after midnight that he departed for London in a people carrier with Lina Souloukou, the club’s chief executive. For a man whose remit was to “oversee all football-related functions, including recruitment, performance, squad strategy and player development”, this was arguably the end.

In Edu’s defence, he is understood to have believed that he would have far more involvement across Marinakis’s three clubs of Forest, Olympiacos and Rio Ave. He has accepted that he struggled to develop a reasonable working relationship with Marinakis. He is frustrated that he failed to make an impact, though he will argue that he was not allowed to. The former Arsenal “Invincible” was well-liked by staff and said to be charming company. Maybe it was just a bold appointment that was not needed

Summer plans
Forest’s recruitment department was already well established under Wilson, technical director George Syrianos and Pedro Ferreira, the head of recruitment. Syrianos will be leading Forest’s strategy this summer, and is also overseeing further development of the training ground. A new recovery centre with cryotherapy chambers and a swimming pool is under construction and the club’s base has improved beyond recognition from years ago.

Forest will again return to Portugal this summer for pre-season, without any of the uncertainty over European competition which dominated last year.

Marinakis remains intent on driving this club on. He will not accept any complacency, and his winning mentality was evident at Villa Park earlier this month.

Despite a number of injuries to key players, he was very frustrated with the 4-0 defeat in the Europa League semi-final second leg. He felt it was still a big opportunity missed. It will be at least another 16 months until Forest can operate in Europe again, and he wants that to be the norm every season.

Marinakis can also take credit for the big moment in pre-season when he rejected Tottenham’s interest in Gibbs-White and persuaded him to sign a new contract. It has proved crucial, with Gibbs-White delivering 25 goals and assists.

Whatever happens next season, Forest are the club you can’t take your eyes off. Same time again in August?

[Sausage Roll]

Thanks for sharing that.

It'd be good to know if the club intends to replace Wilson and the departing Mulholland.

[JollyLollyAussie]

It would be good to know from the club direct on matters and appointments going into next season and beyond SR and not through the media.

[JollyLollyAussie]

Just had a thought as I noted that Dan Ashworth was currently available, highly rated and possible replacement for Edu/Ross Wilson?

[Woan]

Thank you for sharing Salvatore.

[PsychoStooge]

Expected to breach UEFA FSR according to this:

https://x.com/i/status/2059547646109368325