Champions League qualification would allow Nottingham Forest to blow their rivals “out of the water” when it comes to transfer dealings this summer, according to Michael Dawson.
The Reds are already guaranteed some form of European football next term, it just remains to be determined which competition they will be in. But if they can secure their place among the elite, ex-defender Dawson believes his former club would be big players in the transfer market.
It all comes down to Sunday’s final-day clash with Chelsea at the City Ground (4pm kick-off), with seventh-placed Forest in need of a result along with some help from elsewhere. Whatever happens at the weekend, Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad will require strengthening - but Dawson is well aware the difference a top-five finish could make to the Reds and owner Evangelos Marinakis.
In an interview with Gambling.com, the 41-year-old said: “I think they'll be shopping in a different bracket if they are in the Champions League (next season), because they could go and blow teams out of the water. I honestly believe that.
“I think he (Marinakis) would spend his money and give (the team) whatever it needed, because I've worked with him and he wants success. But if they’re in the Europa League or the Europa Conference (League), it's a different kind of player that you're looking at, with the budget and things like that.
“I think they’ll look to sign another striker as back-up for Chris Wood as he isn't getting any younger, and you need competition for places. Do they look at the middle of the park (as an area to sign a new player)? This is what the owner, recruitment department and Nuno will need to look at.
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“I look at that squad and think it's very strong from one to 11. Do they need a little bit more depth on the bench? I would probably say so, if you're competing in and looking for European football on a consistent basis. Which is surprising to say as in recent years, it’s been about getting back to the Premier League and then surviving.
“It's a hard challenge because there are clubs that have been in the Premier League for a long, long time. Spurs will have a better season (next year). Manchester United will have a better season. That is what's going to happen next year because it can't be any worse (for Spurs and Manchester United in the Premier League). So if you're Nottingham Forest, how do you sustain that level of quality year in, year out?"
Retaining their prized assets will be just as important as bringing in new ones for the Reds as they aim to kick on again next term. The likes of Morgan Gibbs-White, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Elanga all have admirers, but Dawson sees midfielder Elliot Anderson as being the most important player for Forest to hang on to.
“I'm a huge fan of Elliot Anderson. I really think he's been one of the signings of the summer, along with (Nikola) Milenkovic and Murillo,” Dawson said when asked who the Reds could not afford to lose. “But I'm a huge fan of Anderson. I love what he does.
“There’s talk of Morgan Gibbs-White being linked to a move and he’s been there for a few years, with speculation around Hudson-Odoi and Elanga too. We can speculate, but you're looking at it, thinking - where would these players go? It’s hard to look at that right now, as Nottingham Forest won't want to lose anyone."
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