Thirteen in, 17 out and a net spend of around £100m — Nottingham Forest’s refreshed and upgraded squad is now in the best shape in a lifetime. With four campaigns this season, the Reds should have all they need… if the immediate issues can be resolved
The best Nottingham Forest squad in a lifetime? As the transfer window drew to a close on Monday, it’s hard to argue with that analysis as the late additions of Oleksandr Zinchenko and Dilane Bakwa saw the Reds bring in 13 new players over the summer.
While the values might be not 100% accurate, Transfermarkt now has Forest’s squad as the 14th most valuable in the world — at €589m (£512m) , more than AC Milan, Aston Villa and Juventus. Remarkable progress for a club that was bottom of the Championship just four years ago.
With big money spent on the likes of Bakwa, James McAtee, Omari Hutchinson, Dan Ndoye and Arnaud Kalimuendo, the squad that ran out of steam last season is now well equipped for the challenge ahead. And some smart dealing by the recruitment team has kept that net spend at around £100m or less.
Much has been made of Nuno’s desire for a ‘small squad’ but that actually translates to 22 or 23 players — which is not far short of the 25-man squad allowed by the Premier League. Given that the squad size is closer to 30, there are inevitably some players who are going to struggle for game time — notably Jota Silva and Taiwo Awoniyi.
However, with some transfer windows yet to close, there could be further departures, reducing the squad to more manageable number. Loans for Silva, Awoniyi and Cuiabano would aid their careers and help with the harmony that the manager seeks. Alongside Nicolas Dominguez’s knee injury, which could keep him out for some weeks to come, the Africa Cup of Nations (21 December-18 January) is also likely to see Awoniyi, Willy Boly, Ola Aina and Ibrahim Sangare away on international duty.
As it stands, there are at least two quality players for every position, allowing for injuries, tactical flexibility and the demands of challenging in four campaigns this season. And while we might have had squad depth in recent years, the quality hasn’t been anywhere near the level we’re at now.
The international break will now offer Nuno and his team time to work with the new arrivals — excluding those playing for their countries — which was part of his frustration over the summer. The success of last season began during preseason training, when an already settled squad was able to develop an understanding of each other as well as the manager’s tactics.
The collapse against West Ham United is hopefully a one-off, and the greater possession we’ve seen in the first three games of the season suggest a tactical development is already taking shape. It’s perhaps no surprise that the first XI has remained unchanged until now, but with the Premier League, Carabao Cup and Europe League all running concurrently then many of those new faces will quickly find themselves on the pitch.
Nuno’s ill-advised press conference comments have caused disharmony at the beginning of the season but we have to hope imminent talks with resolve the situation. The narrative that he didn’t want more players and/or a bigger squad, won’t use substitutes and is tactically inflexible are all at odds with everything we’ve seen with our own eyes.
One bad result and a few misplaced words shouldn’t undo everything that’s happened in the past 18 months. With the squad now available at his disposal, Nuno should be able to continue what he started. But we know as well as anyone that patience is required when a large number of new faces arrive through the door. For the time being though, we await the outcome of the next week or so.
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