Will last year’s surprise side shock once again? Or succumb to the grind of European competition?

Transfer News

There were two big events on this front. The first was Anthony Elanga’s departure to Sunderland. His speed and contributions will be hard to replace. The second was keeping Morgan Gibbs-White and locking him into a long-term contract. That was some solid business.

What’s also interesting is the strong Botofogo connection. They sold Danilo (midfielder)  to them, and in turn bought Jair Cunha (forward) and Igor Jesus (defender). Moneywise, that was a zero-sum game. I’ve had my suspicions that Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis and Botofogo owner John Textor have been in cahoots this season over the Crystal Palace Euro-saga, but this is hardly definitive proof of any shenanigans other than billionaires moving pawns on the chess board. Plus, Forest did lure the Brazilian Edu away from Arsenal and place him as their Head of Football. 

To replace Elanga, Forest tapped young Swiss winger Dan Ndoye from Bologna. He won’t be an immediate fit, but after he adjusts to the PL pace should give good contributions.

Season Outlook

I’m not gonna lie, by the end of last season Nottingham Forest looked completely gassed. Nuno’s high-press, high-energy style demands a lot from a player. It’s a legitimate question whether playing two games a week due to Europa League commitments will be sustainable. There are signs that Forest is adopting a more possession-based, less frantic approach to the game, but this has come with a cost. In seven pre-season fixtures, they’ve scored two goals and earned five nil – nil draws. This will not fly in league, or in Europe.

Forest have a generous opening five fixtures, and will manage to put in some goals and rack up some points. But overall? They’ll fall into the bottom half. Europa League will chew them up and spit them out.

Key Players

• Forward
  • Chris Wood is that classic nine, standing imperious in the box and smashing home goals.
  • While the fluidity and creativity of Igor Jesus and Taiwo Awoniyi up from that yet to generate any results, give it some time. It should.
• Midfield
  • Morgan Gibbs-White is the lynchpin of this Forest midfield now. They’ll need more than last season 7g/8a, but he’s got that potential.
  • Ibrahim Sangaré had very limited minutes last season due to injury. He’ll need to step up.
  • Dan Ndoye has big, fast boots to fill. His adjustment period will have to be a short one.
• Defender
  • The tandem of Murillo and Nikola Milenković were stalwarts of the center defense last seaon. We’ll see how an additional eight games (at minimum) strains them.
  • Their logical back ups are 34-year old Willy Boly and 19-year old academy talent Zach Abbott.
  • Ola Aina and Neco Wolliams will continue to guard the flanks while making those probing runs on the transition.
• Goalkeeper
  • Matz Sels will retain his #1 spot.

Other Team Previews

Aston Villa
Bournemouth
Brighton & Hove Albion
Burnley
Chelsea
Crystal Palace
Fulham
Liverpool
Manchester City
Newcastle United
Sunderland
Tottenham Hotspur
West Ham United
Wolverhampton Wanderers