Nottingham Forest have profited from FA Cup winners Crystal Palace being demoted to the Conference League, after their appeal against multi-club ownership breaches was rejected.
*The **Tricky Trees*’ rapid response to their promotion to the Europa League reveals not only their explicit ambition and the necessity of squad depth, but also how large the gap between the two aforementioned European competitions really is.
The prospective additions are mainly in the attacking department, and Nuno Espirito Santo’s recent admissions of his side’s lack of preparation before their opener against Brentford hint at some unresolved issues and the manager’s desire for more resources.
Forest’s owner, Evangelos Marinakis, has acted boldly to respond to the manager’s calls for players to cope with the demands of the new campaign.
Manchester City’s attacking midfielder, James McAtee, has reached a full agreement to join Forest, as understood by The Athletic, and the package is said to be worth £30 million with sell-on and buy-back clauses included in the deal.
Fellow England U21 international Omari Hutchinson is also set for a move to Trentside, which would prolong his Premier League status after Ipswich Town were relegated.
Despite Morgan Gibbs-White renewing his contract at The City Ground following fierce negotiations regarding a transfer to Tottenham Hotspur, Forest seem to be prioritising a reinforcement for their star midfielder.
Gibbs-White would hope that McAtee's all but finalised arrival will make him merely a deputy to his stable role.
The Tricky Trees tied down Brazilian striker Igor Jesus even before his dazzling Club World Cup displays, but their search for an accompanying marksman is reportedly ongoing. The supposed requirement of boasting at least two players for every position is perhaps dawning upon Nuno.
23-year-old French striker, Arnaud Kalimuendo, may be imminently departing from Ligue 1 side Rennes, according to Fabrizio Romano.
He may disrupt Jesus from directly slotting in as Nuno’s consistently preferred choice while Chris Wood and Taiwo Awoniyi could find themselves dropping down the pecking order.
The PSG youth product scored 18 goals in 34 games for Rennes last season, and he was widely regarded as one of the French top flight’s most promising talents. His goalscoring figures were only surpassed by Ousmane Dembélé and Mason Greenwood.
Nuno has been trialling a two-striker system during pre-season, and this latest potential transfer could be hinting at a tactical shift which may come into fruition in the Premier League.
Meanwhile, former Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz, who often adopts a deeper role, has been earmarked by Forest chiefs for some time.
Now, it seems as though Forest are ready to step up their pursuit with the transfer window closing in almost two weeks.
The 27-year-old has four Premier League campaigns under his belt at Aston Villa and has since gained Champions League experience from his time at Juventus last term.
Forest have raised funds to afford these investments into new personnel as the sales of Danilo and Ramon Sosa recouped upwards of £30 million.
Anthony Elanga’s move to Newcastle United was a sore inevitability as The Magpies had long been admirers of the Swede, and the promise of Champions League football surely swayed Elanga.
Forest earned a significant sum of £55 million, and Dan Ndoye’s arrival from Bologna filled the void on the wing, though the Switzerland international exhibits some differing qualities to Elanga.
Speculation over a new deal for Callum Hudson-Odoi had not surfaced until the Europa League announcement earlier this week, but as per The Athletic, his contract extension is close to being formally confirmed.
With his current contract expiring next summer, this is another major boost for Forest fans given Hudson-Odoi’s previous European experience and impressive performances at left-wing for much of last season.