“So basically, Marinakis and Dane Murphy have this tactic where we literally sign every player from every other club so that on match days the other teams can’t field a starting XI and we win by default. It’s genius,” goes the meme. And it felt like that was the case at Nottingham Forest at times over the summer.
The hard work started last season when Forest made an unexpected surge for the Premier League. Two lists of targets were drawn up, one for the Championship and another for the top flight. By mid-June Steve Cooper and Murphy, the chief executive, were on the same page about who they did and did not want. Dean Henderson was an upgrade on Brice Samba, Neco Williams would be targeted over Djed Spence and Taiwo Awoniyi was the ideal No 9. Cooper was adamant that Morgan Gibbs-White was crucial to his plan and a drawn-out, two-month process to smash the club’s transfer record began.
Since that first meeting, 21 players have arrived after countless offers and inquiries. As Cooper is at pains to explain, this level of recruitment was required to make Forest competitive. The core of their team from last season consisted of loan players, who all departed along with their goalkeeper and club captain. It cannot be forgotten that before Cooper’s arrival, Forest were bottom of the league.
Overall, 22 have left, some from the fringes, something forgotten amid the headlines of signings. There was always a plan to sign young players with potential to improve and be sold for a profit. The Bundesliga was seen as a sensible hunting ground, with Forest looking to find value and German clubs eager to make money. Awoniyi broke Forest’s transfer record, Moussa Niakhaté, Omar Richards and Orel Mangala followed.
By the end of July 10 players had joined; only Harry Toffolo, the substitute goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey and Jesse Lingard were over the age of 26. There is no escaping that Lingard was a key turning point in the summer activity. He was not on the list of original targets. It showed Forest were willing to push the boat out to sign someone with proven Premier League pedigree. It was a deal Miltiadis Marinakis, son of the owner Evangelos, took control of. This was a theme of the summer. When Renan Lodi was pitched as a potential arrival, it was seen as a pipedream but Militiadis got it done, to the surprise of even some within the club.
Amadou Onana and Ibrahim Sangaré were key targets in central midfield, as players who could provide Cooper with the athleticism and quality needed to ruffle feathers, but neither deal came to fruition. Onana went to Everton and Sangaré signed a new deal with PSV Eindhoven.
Forest have left their mark on the window in more ways than one. They made bids for a plethora of players before pulling out. One agent told the Guardian he entered into negotiations with the club on five occasions for a player and then Forest stopped picking up the phone. Other clubs believe Forest have distorted the market with their spending.
The club worked round the clock to get deals done, with calls made at all hours to help build a squad worthy of Forest’s first Premier League season in 23 years. By the opening day, though, not every piece of the jigsaw was in place and Newcastle made light work of Forest with a 2-0 victory. There was a realisation that experience was required to cope with the demands of the top flight. A reconfiguration of what was needed took place and experience was sought to aid the young talent. Cheikhou Kouyaté, Remo Freuler and Emmanuel Dennis joined before the second game, bringing Premier League, Champions League and international experience.
Inquiries were made regarding a number of other players, from Neal Maupay to Patrick van Aanholt, to add depth but a home victory over West Ham, in front of a bouncing City Ground, was enough to prove the team were on the right track under Cooper, and calm returned.
The following week the club’s transfer record was broken again for the player Cooper always wanted: Gibbs-White. The club paid £25m up front and more is to follow in add-ons for the winger. Cooper had been offered the opportunity to move on to other targets. Cody Gakpo of PSV Eindhoven was suggested but Cooper was unwavering that Gibbs-White, a player he knows well, would provide everything he wanted.
Going into deadline day there were 18 through the revolving east Midlands door but still there was work to do. After Niakhaté was injured it was decided more pace was needed at the back, something exposed against Tottenham and Manchester City. A deal for Japhet Tanganga was deemed too complicated, so the centre-backs Willy Boly and Loïc Badé joined. The winger Josh Bowler came from Blackpool and went straight out on loan to Olympiakos.
Fittingly, there was drama until the very end when a late push to sign Michy Batshuayi from Chelsea fell through in the final minutes. Serge Aurier will be confirmed soon as the 22nd signing but then tranquility can settle over Forest. Cooper knows who he will be working with until January at least. The club are confident they have assembled a youthful and talented squad capable of staying in the league, and to them that is all that matters.
