Latest Nottingham Forest news as Reds defender reflects on start to season and special City Ground moment
05:00, 03 Nov 2025
Nicolo Savona (second from left) celebrates scoring for Nottingham Forest against Manchester United with Callum Hudson-Odoi, Neco Williams and Elliot Anderson
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Nicolo Savona (second from left) celebrates scoring for Nottingham Forest against Manchester United with Callum Hudson-Odoi, Neco Williams and Elliot Anderson(Image: PA)
Summer signing Nicolo Savona feels he is starting to find his feet in English football after scoring his first goal for Nottingham Forest.
The defender marked his second successive start in the Premier League by finding the back of the net against Manchester United on Saturday. The Reds had to settle for a 2-2 draw in the end but could reflect on plenty of positives to build on as they work to turn around their form under new head coach Sean Dyche.
For Savona, it has not always been easy. He has had to be patient in waiting for a chance and is adapting to a new league and country following his switch from Juventus, but he is beginning to feel settled.
“At first, it was difficult,” the 22-year-old Italian told the BBC. “But now I feel very good and I feel very good with my teammates and the coach. I feel very good here.
“I’m very happy to score my first goal in the Premier League and here at the City Ground, in front of our fans. I’m happy.
“My family were here so for them to see this was very beautiful. I feel very good now, and I feel very good with my teammates and the coach.”
Getting out of the relegation zone is a priority for Forest, who have not won in the league since the opening day of the season. But before a big clash with newly-promoted Leeds United at the weekend, their focus switches to the Europa League.
Dyche’s side have four points from their first three European fixtures. They go to Austria this week to face Sturm Graz on Thursday, and Savona is certain they are heading in the right direction.
“We had a great win against Porto. But now we need to work harder to win more games in the Europa League and the Premier League. That’s the mentality to have,” he said.
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Winger Dan Ndoye, who had a spell in Serie A before his move Trentside, helped with some translation in Savona’s interview. And the Switzerland international is also confident Forest can push on.
He said: “We are going step by step in the right direction. We need to continue like that, to perform and to have the mentality to want to win games.
“It is good for the future. We need to continue in this way.
“The games come fast, which is good for us. We can continue to work in this way. We want to win and build on this positive result.
“We have the quality to do better in the Premier League. We didn’t start the season well but we still have a lot of games.
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“Our mentality is to take it game by game. Now we are focused on the Europa League and then we will be focused on the next game in the Premier League.”
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