Both before and after Nottingham Forest’s final match of the season, head coach Steve Cooper had a clear message he wanted to get across.
The sense of jubilation, he stressed, wouldn’t last for too long - at least not behind the scenes at the City Ground. Instead, the focus will quickly shift towards how to improve. June, Cooper said, will be “an important month”.
That doesn’t just apply to transfers and squad-building, with the manager also pointing to a desire to progress all aspects of the club. However, there is no doubting just how key the summer business will be to pushing on from the platform survival has given the Reds.
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This is a crucial transfer window. Getting it right is vital. It is a significant test to pass.
It will also be the first window with recently-appointed chief football officer Ross Wilson in place. Ensuring everyone is on the same page about what is needed is a must.
With the transformation which was required last year, the sheer numbers involved meant hits and misses were inevitable. It would be impossible for any club to get every single one of 29 additions spot on.
This summer, though, it should be about quality over quantity. There will be a focus on outgoings as Forest clearly need to let several players go; they have a number who have been out on loan and some who did not make the 25-man cut, with decisions about their futures required.
But the basis of a really promising group is there. Forest have a nucleus of talented players to build around and add to.
This season has shown there is a balance to be struck between youth and experience. Exciting young prospects such as Danilo, Brennan Johnson, Morgan Gibbs-White and Neco Williams have benefitted from having some been-there-and-done-that pros in the dressing room. It hasn’t quite worked out for Jonjo Shelvey, Andre Ayew and Chris Wood, but the likes of Serge Aurier and Cheikhou Kouyate are the counterbalance to that. Equally, Steve Cook, although not in the squad after January, has remained a big character around the club.
Cooper has shown in successive seasons now at Forest how he can knit a squad together with his brilliant man-management skills. He has done so this time around in quite extraordinary circumstances.
Prospective targets will see that. They will see how Jesse Lingard seems to have enjoyed his time Trentside despite barely playing. They will see how Renan Lodi (although hopefully it isn’t the last the Reds have seen of him) has developed a clear attachment to the club during his time on loan. They will see the progress made by someone such as Taiwo Awoniyi. All of that should act as a considerable pull, along with the clear ambition of all involved to push on.
Cooper has learned lessons over the past year. The players have, too. You’d back all to come back even stronger next term. Get the signings right, and there should be a real excitement about what may be possible.
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