Nottingham Forest left it late on transfer deadline day to secure three more additions to Nuno Espírito Santo’s squad, but Michael Dawson has spotted an issue with the business.
In what threatened to be a busy deadline day from the off, Forest signed Cuiabano from Botafogo to get the transfer business going in what was the fourth addition from the Brazilian side this summer.
The most exciting updates throughout the day surrounded the pursuit of Dilane Bakwa, which was eventually finalised long after the 7pm deadline as Forest announced Bakwa in a deal worth a reported £35m.
Remarkably, the club weren’t done as Oleksandr Zinchenko signed on loan, but former Red Dawson has raised an issue around Forest’s remarkably busy window.
Michael Dawson attends the Sky Sports opening night party for the 23/24 season.
Photo by Joe Maher/Getty Images for Sky Sports
Michael Dawson spots problem with Nottingham Forest recruitment
Nuno Espírito Santo wanted new signings and Evangelos Marinakis certainly delivered, both on deadline day and during the window overall.
13 additions is quite the way to prepare for European football, but Dawson does have concerns over how Nuno will manage this pool of talent.
He said on Sky Sports News: “It’s fitting everyone into the team now. Douglas Luiz has come in on loan, James McAtee, Omari Hutchison, and they’ve brought in Arnaud Kalimuendo.
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“So you look at the squad from yesterday [vs West Ham] and the number of players that weren’t involved is remarkable. Then there’s two or three players today!”
With the Europa League on the horizon, the Forest squad clearly needed strengthening, but it’s been clear from the start of the Premier League campaign that Espírito Santo hasn’t quite figured out how to get the most out of his new talent.
The quality in depth was required, though, so while Nuno contends with his new talent, Dawson was quick to credit Marinakis for providing the funds.
Evangelos Marinakis earns praise from Michael Dawson
Forest spent just over £200m this summer on incoming signings, a remarkable figure that Marinakis will expect to see a return from on the pitch.
For now, though, the Forest owner deserves credit for giving Nuno the platform to succeed, a sentiment that was echoed by Dawson.
He continued: “They spend a lot of money and that owner expects a winning mentality. They’ve got European football this season for the first time in a very long time so the owner has certainly put his money where his mouth is and has made them competitive.”
With the money spent, Marinakis is expecting Forest to improve on last season, so it remains to be seen whether Espírito Santo can deliver on these expectations.