Nottingham Forest will be playing UEFA Conference League football next season, and Elliot Anderson will be a big player once again.
The Reds finished seventh last season, and after flirting with the Champions League for so long, some might feel a tinge of disappointment.
Still, given that Forest nearly went down during their first two seasons in the Premier League, this has to represent a step in the right direction.
Anderson was hailed by Gary Neville last season, and his first campaign playing regular top-flight football was extremely successful from a personal point of view.
England v Slovenia - UEFA European Under-21 Championship 2025 Group Stage
Photo by Image Photo Agency/Getty Images
Elliot Anderson shares what Nottingham Forest players have said about UEFA Conference League
It might not be the tournament that Forest wanted to be in next season, but the reality is that it’s a competition that the Reds will fancy doing well in.
That is certainly the message from the dressing room at the City Ground.
Forest will be somewhat frustrated that had Crystal Palace not won the FA Cup, their seventh-place standing would have secured Europa League, but the Conference League does at least provide a big opportunity.
Anderson told Henry Winter ahead of England under-21s taking on Germany: “Everyone was pretty disappointed. We fell off towards the end, but we must be proud of what we’ve done.
MORE FOREST STORIES
“Chelsea won the Conference League and if we play like we did last season, then we could have a really good chance of getting towards the end.
“It would be incredible to win a European trophy. All the Forest boys have been saying how good it would be. The city deserves it. We have an incredible fan base.
“I enjoy playing at the City Ground, so if we can repay the fans with a trophy, it would be great. The nights under the lights at the City Ground with the European clubs coming is what I’m most looking forward to.”
Forest must stay focused to win Conference League
Not only will Forest need the mentality, but a better squad will be needed in order to go all the way to Leipzig next May.
Chelsea did win the competition, but they have the luxury of rotating their entire squad pretty much and still look like a solid outfit.
Right now, Forest don’t have much meat on the bones in terms of squad depth, and that is something that Evangelos Marinakis and Nuno Espirito Santo will be desperately trying to do this summer.
If a few players can be added to the ranks, with quality over quantity the order of the day again, there is absolutely no reason why the Reds can’t be in line to win the Conference League during 2025/26.