Nottingham Forest were able to move on plenty of Nuno Espírito Santo’s fringe options this summer, but one star could yet come back to haunt the Reds in the Europa League.
Towards the end of the window, the fringe departures ramped up as Marko Stamenic signed for Swansea City on a permanent deal.
Efforts continued into transfer deadline day as Eric da Silva Moreira joined Rio Ave on loan, before being followed to the same club by left-back option Omar Richards.
Josh Bowler had his Forest contract terminated, too, but he wasn’t the only one, with another released star potentially set to rival the Reds in the Europa League.
Emmanuel Dennis in action for Nottingham Forest against Chesterfield.
Photo by George Wood/Getty Images
Emmanuel Dennis linked with Europa League move
Dennis departed Forest before the West Ham defeat, after being available for transfer throughout the window but without any suitors.
The Nigerian experienced a torrid loan with Blackburn Rovers last season, but it seems that he may land on his feet as Scottish giants Celtic consider a move for Dennis.
According to The Herald, Brendan Rodgers’ side are interested in Dennis after experiencing a disastrous striker search during the window, with top targets Kasper Dolberg and Datro Fofana rejecting a move to Glasgow.
Nottingham Forest can confirm that Emmanuel Dennis has left the Club following the mutual termination of his contract.
We wish Emmanuel well for the future. pic.twitter.com/KcrYM2ccgI
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) August 31, 2025
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Should they turn to Dennis, he could help them in their Europa League campaign, with the Scottish champions entering the league phase alongside Forest.
The two sides haven’t been drawn against each other but should the two sides qualify, Dennis could get the chance to show Espírito Santo his worth.
Interestingly, should Dennis secure a move to Celtic, he could form a strike partnership with a striker who Forest pursued in the past, while the 27-year-old struggled for game time at the City Ground.
Emmanuel Dennis could link up with ex-Forest target at Celtic
Espírito Santo didn’t hand Dennis a single opportunity at the City Ground, a decision that is hard to argue with given how much he has struggled in his various loan spells.
He’d do well to land at a club like Celtic, then, where he’d link up with Nigerian compatriot Kelechi Iheanacho, who was previously linked with a move to Trentside.
Forest looked into a deal for Iheanacho after his contract at Leicester City expired, where he could very well have taken up another space in the Forest squad that would’ve left Dennis even further away from a chance in the first team.
Eventually, Iheanacho signed for Sevilla, but after finding himself at Celtic, he could now link up with Dennis in the Europa League.