Nottingham Forest have moved on from their erratic approach to transfers when they first announced their arrival back in the Premier League in 2022.
Forest added 30 players to the squad across two transfer windows, and although a large number of those were necessary, it saw the club ridiculed by outsiders.
The Reds have learned lessons, though. Nuno Espirito Santo is a manager who likes a streamlined squad, and since he came to the club, it’s been a case of quality over quantity throughout.
Some of the players from those first two windows back in the Premier League have done well. Morgan Gibbs-White, Neco Williams, Willy Boly and Chris Wood are big players under Espirito Santo at the club.
However, others either played very little at all or were some way off the pace and saw their time at the club over very quickly.
Jonjo Shelvey in action for Forest vs Everton
Photo by James Williamson – AMA/Getty Images
Jonjo Shelvey goes on trial with Hull City
According to Hull Live, Shelvey is going to join Hull for pre-season training after his short-term deal with Burnley expired last summer.
As far as strange Forest signings go, Shelvey was right up there for the Reds. He came after being forced into the fringes at Newcastle, with Eddie Howe admitting he didn’t want Shelvey to leave.
However, it quickly became apparent that Cooper wasn’t the manager to revive Shelvey’s career, with the player making just eight appearances before heading off to Turkey.
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Cooper and Shelvey had a bust-up at Forest and that saw the head coach stick to his guns and refuse to pick Shelvey in his midfield engine room.
It paid dividends as the decision allowed Danilo to take centre-stage and he stepped up to score some big goals for Forest as relegation was avoided during 2022/23.
Shelvey facing a fight to win English club for next season
Shelvey did show glimpses of a passing radar that has served him well during his career at Forest, but there were also major errors against Aston Villa away and at home to Everton.
It never really looked like Shelvey took accountability for his errors and his body language during his time at Forest often looked questionable.
Shelvey made just four appearances for Burnley last season as they won automatic promotion back to the Premier League under Scott Parker.
With the midfielder likely to be craving a sizeable salary wherever he ends up, he might be struggling to get hooked up before the new season.
Hull provides him with an opportunity at the very least, and it will be interesting to see if the Championship outfit will give him a deal during pre-season.