Nottingham Forest are currently in a battle to avoid being relegated down to the Championship under new head coach Vitor Pereira this season.
The Portuguese boss is the third manager to grace the City Ground dugout in the 2025/26 campaign, following on from Sean Dyche, Ange Postecoglou, and Nuno Espirito Santo.
Pereira masterminded a 3-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur before the international break to move the club three points clear of West Ham United in the final relegation spot.
vitor-pereira-nottingham-forest-premier-league
Whilst the main focus will be on avoiding relegation from the Premier League in the last seven matches of the season, there will also be one eye on what they want to do in the summer.
Should they avoid the drop, one of the players they need to move on from as a regular starter in the 2026/27 campaign is centre-forward Igor Jesus.
Why Nottingham Forest need to move on from Igor Jesus
Because of Chris Wood's persistent injury issues, the Brazilian number nine has been the go-to man up front for the Tricky Trees in the Premier League, starting 22 of his 30 appearances in the division.
Igor-Jesus
The 25-year-old marksman, in his first season with the club, has not delivered enough quality in the final third to justify keeping the faith in him as the first-choice striker for next year.
In his 30 appearances in the top-flight, Jesus has scored three goals from 4.66 xG for Nottingham Forest, averaging one goal every ten games and underperforming his xG by almost two goals.
The Brazilian flop has not been efficient or clinical with the chances that have come his way or offered a consistent enough threat to opposition defenders to generate a high xG.
That is why Pereira should look to move on from Jesus as a regular starter next season, and he may not have to make a new signing in order to do that.
The forgotten Nottingham Forest star who could replace Jesus
The Tricky Trees have a forgotten star who is currently out on loan and could return to the City Ground this summer as if he is a new signing for the manager.
vitor-pereira-wolves
Last summer, Forest swooped to sign Arnaud Kalimuendo from Stade Rennes for a fee of £26m to bolster their options at the top end of the pitch, but he was rarely given a chance to impress under Postecoglou or Dyche.
The French striker only played 106 minutes across nine substitute appearances in the Premier League, whilst also scoring two goals in four Europa League matches, before being sent on loan to Eintracht Frankfurt by Dyche in January.
Since joining Frankfurt on loan, Kalimuendo has scored five goals from 3.07 xG in 13 appearances in the Bundesliga, outscoring Jesus' league record within the space of three months.
25/26 season Jesus (PL) Kalimuendo (BL)
Appearances 30 13
xG 4.66 3.07
Goals 3 5
Minutes per goal 606 188
Big chances created 4 3
Assists 3 1
Pass accuracy 72% 86%
The French star has delivered more goals and 'big chances' created combined (eight) than Jesus has managed (seven) in less than half as many top-flight games, which speaks to the difference in quality between the two players.
Kalimuendo is not just in a purple patch of form, either, as he scored ten Ligue 1 goals in the 2023/24 campaign and 17 league goals in the 2024/25 season for Rennes before his move to Forest.
kalimuendo-nottingham-forest
However, the previous managers at Forest opted not to give him a chance to prove his quality in the Premier League, which currently looks like a big mistake.
Thankfully, for Pereira and Forest, it has been reported that Frankfurt are unlikely to activate their option to sign the striker permanently for £23m due to their own financial struggles.
Nottingham Forest's Callum Hudson-Odoi and Nottingham Forest's Arnaud Kalimuendo react after Swansea City's Cameron Burgess scored their third goal
This means that Kalimuendo may get a second chance to make a success of his career at the City Ground under a manager who is yet to work with him, meaning that he could have a clean slate in the summer.
The 24-year-old star, described as "really dangerous" in the box by U23 scout Antonio Mango, could be the in-house solution to their Igor Jesus problem at the top end of the pitch, as he could return to take the starting berth up front next season.
Given his record in Germany and France, Kalimuendo could be a terrific player for the club if Pereira gives him a fair chance, despite possibly being forgotten by some supporters due to his lack of minutes before leaving on loan.
Neco Williams celebrates for Forest Related
[Nottingham Forest have already signed an "exceptional" Williams replacement](https://www.footballfancast.com/nottingham-forest-already-have-a-williams-replacement-luca-netz/ "Nottingham Forest have already signed an "exceptional" Williams replacement")
Nottingham Forest already have a star who could replace Neco Williams at the City Ground.