After the 2023–24 season has concluded, focus will shift to Nottingham Forest’s prospects for the upcoming campaign.
For the Reds and head coach Nuno Espirito Santo, the summer will be very important. While transfer rumors have already begun, some new contracts have been revealed and a few departures verified.
There was a lot to discuss during the live Q&A session hosted by Forest reporter Sarah Clapson on our Reds Facebook page, given the abundance of current events. Here’s an overview of how it turned out.
Q: Keeping MGW is essential for next season. I wouldn’t begrudge him a move to a top six club if he has England ambitions but I don’t think he could expect to be as central in another team as he is at Forest. Great that Boly and Aina have signed though.
A: Good point about Morgan Gibbs-White. He is Forest’s main man, isn’t he? He is the talisman, the go-to guy who is at the heart of everything. Would that be the case at another club? As you say, maybe not with one of the top six.
Morgan seems to enjoy the extra responsibility he has at Forest of being the one everyone looks to. I think he really thrives on that.
As we saw last season with Brennan Johnson, clubs like Forest sometimes have to sell players they would otherwise like to hang on to in order to keep within the financial rules. They need to sell again this summer and may well need to let go of one of their top young talents. Murillo and Gibbs-White are the two big assets. They have already been at the centre of a lot of talk and have got their admirers.
Nuno said on Sunday it is inevitable there will be interest in some players. He is braced for that, as are Forest. Players like MGW and Murillo have been in terrific form; it would be no surprise if other clubs come sniffing.
If it ends up being a choice of having to let go of one or the other, then of the two I think keeping Gibbs-White is more important. He would be more difficult to replace. He has got that little bit of magic and something extra that is really difficult to find – and particularly hard to find at a decent price.
You look at the fee Forest paid for him a couple of years ago and it already looks a really good deal. To try to do that again, find somebody of that quality and with that potential who can have such a massive impact, I think would be almost impossible.
Murillo is a huge, huge talent. He’s got such vast potential and it would be great to think he could have another season of progress in a Forest shirt. But if a club comes in for him with a lot of money, it could be difficult to turn down.
As for Boly and Aina, agree, it’s terrific business to get their deals sorted early. They are key players and Forest have already made a start on shaping the squad with those two tied down.
Boly made such a difference when he came back from injury. If he’d played more games, Forest would probably have got more points and safety could have been secured sooner.
Aina has proved to be an excellent piece of business – getting him in last year on a free and then taking up the option to extend. He’s been really good. The fact that he can play on both flanks is a huge plus as well. Nuno values players with that kind of versatility as he wants to keep squad numbers tight.
Q: A quality striker needed, for me.
A: I’d agree with that. Strengthening at the top end of the pitch has to be a priority.
Taiwo Awoniyi and Chris Wood have both had their injury problems in the last couple of years. Hopefully they have better luck next term, but Forest need cover just in case.
Awoniyi and Wood have both been important players, and they can be again, but another option is needed. Having someone else to share the goal burden is no bad thing. As Forest have found in the last couple of seasons, injuries and absences can play a part so you need to have sufficient strength in depth.
The loans of Divock Origi and Rodrigo Ribeiro didn’t really work out. Origi was fairly flexible in where he could play, but he didn’t have the impact that his CV suggested he should. Ribeiro was viewed as a bright young talent but he never really got the chance to show it. Obviously Nuno and his staff will have seen more of him in training, so their judgement will have played a part in Forest seemingly not signing him permanently.
No doubt Ribeiro will go on somewhere else and prove to be a big hit. But given Forest have to be really clever with their transfer business this summer, opting not to spend a significant outlay on an unproven teenager does make sense.
It’s not just a striker Forest need. I think they do need to strengthen other attacking areas, too. Bringing in a winger, someone who can also play as a No.10 to cover for Gibbs-White, should be on the list.
Another massive overhaul shouldn’t be required this summer. Forest just need a few key signings. They have a good group already in place, it is about building on that and ensuring there is sufficient strength in depth.
Q: We should be building the team around players like Morgan and Murillo not selling them. Think we need some other players off the books first and another striker would be great.
A: In an ideal world, Forest absolutely would build around MGW and Murillo. Their quality and talent is there for all to see. Everyone knows how good they are and how good they still can be.
The reality is that other clubs are going to come sniffing around when you have got players who have stood out in a team that has been battling relegation. It is inevitable.
Forest do know the value of those two; they know what they are worth and value them highly. They both have admirers but, as always, that doesn’t necessarily translate into offers. It is going to be a case of wait and see what happens. Trying to keep within the financial rules means tough decisions sometimes have to be taken; players you would like to keep might have to be let go.
Forest do need to get some others off the books. It is still a big squad. The club made inroads on trimming numbers in January but they still have a number of players who are unlikely to get much of a look-in – players who have been out on loan, for example.
Nuno wants to work with a tight group. It is difficult to keep so many players happy when they know they are not going to play.
Nuno was asked on Sunday whether some tough decisions would have to be made. He was quite blunt about it and said they are not tough decisions because the club have belief in what they are doing and those kinds of calls are part of the job.
There will be some who move on. Hopefully, though, the crux of the squad stays in place.
Q: Emmanuel Dennnis?
A: Last season I found Dennis to be really frustrating. He’s got something there but he couldn’t quite fully deliver on it. He would go on a brilliant run but then not quite finish it off or he would make a poor pass. He just didn’t manage that little bit extra in the final third to make it count.
Going on loan to a club he knew should have helped him. But has he got a future at Forest? Personally, I’m not so sure he would be the answer.
I do think he’s got something about him, but he just hasn’t shown enough of it in a Forest shirt. I’d be having a look at other options. For me, he would be one to let go as the club look to move on fringe players and trim the wage bill.
Q: Do we have any academy lads knocking on the door? Not seen any since BJ.
A:There is a fair bit of talent in the youth ranks, for sure. It is just that making that step to the first team has become even more of a challenge with Forest in the Premier League.
A few have been out on loan and have done pretty well. Forest must now strike a really fine balancing act, deciding whether it is best to keep those players at the club and monitor them first-hand or arrange another loan where they can get regular game time again. Nuno may well want to have a look at some in pre-season and decide whether he thinks it would be good to keep them around.
It can be tough to earn a chance in the Premier League. When teams are fighting for every point and there is so much riding on games, managers are under pressure and it can become increasingly difficult to turn to a youngster.
It is so important, though, for that pathway still to be there. The academy is such a big part of the club. I hope that doesn’t get lost. I hope it is recognised how important it is. Forest have such a proud, rich heritage and tradition of bringing players through.
They do have some really good players in there. The likes of Dale Taylor and Aaron Donnelly have done well on loan.
Alex Mighten has been on loan, too, but is at a crossroads again. He is at an age where he really needs to be playing regularly. Will he get that at Forest next season? I think it will be tough.
I know Brandon Aguilera isn’t an academy graduate, but he is rated highly. Steve Cooper thought a lot of him, so it will be interesting to see if Nuno is the same.
Hopefully players get an opportunity in pre-season to make a case for themselves. Nuno isn’t afraid to give young players an opportunity. He has done so before in his managerial career, and we saw it in the FA Cup this season as well. Joe Gardner did well when he played against Bristol City.
I really hope the opportunities do still come and there is that pathway there. Ryan Yates is obviously keeping up the academy link, but it needs to continue. The players coming through need to have that role model and they need to see that the door will be open. I really hope that remains the case because it is such a key part of the club.
