After gaining promotion to the Premier League for the first time in 23 years, Nottingham Forest will be looking to add to their squad in the upcoming transfer window.
Forest beat Huddersfield 1-0 in the Championship playoff final in May to secure their place in the top flight for the upcoming season, with Steve Cooper's side securing at least £170m in funds. The Reds have been linked with a host of players including Manchester United’s Dean Henderson and James Gardner - the latter playing a vital role in Forest’s promotion whilst on loan last season.
Another player who played a big part in the Reds’ promotion campaign was defender Djed Spence, though it looks like the wing-back could be moving elsewhere following the end of his loan spell. With two of Forest’s key players potentially not at the club next season, Cooper may be looking to add a big number of new signings to his squad.
READ MORE: 'Cuckoo land' - Forest fans pile in after Tottenham transfer update
So, who could Forest sign this summer and how can we expect Cooper’s starting XI to look when the 2022 transfer window closes? Let's find out.
Nottingham Forest’s 2022/23 squad predicted after 2022 transfer window
To find out what the Forest squad could look like at the beginning of the 2022/23 season, we used Football Manager 2022 to predict their incomings, outgoings and the future starting XI. Here's what happened!
Transfers in: £46 million
- James Garner (Manchester United) - £16.25m
- Thomas Meunier (Borussia Dortmund) - £6m
- Etienne Green (Saint-Etienne) - £5.25m (£6.75m)
- Adam Armstrong (Southampton) - £5.25m
- Vladimir Darida (Hertha Berlin) - £4.25m (£5m)
- Adam Lallana (Brighton) - £3.2m (3.8m)
- Phillip Zinkernagel (Watford) - £2.9m
- Christian Benteke (Crystal Palace) - £2.7m
- Danny Rose (Free agent) - Free transfer
- Joe Rodon (Tottenham) - Loan
Nottingham Forest signed 10 players in the 2022/23 summer transfer window, costing a combined fee of £46m in our simulation. The most expensive transfer was signing Man United’s James Garner on a permanent deal following his successful loan spell, with Forest splashing out £16.25m on the midfielder in a realistic deal.
Wing-back Thomas Meunier joined from Borussia Dortmund for £6m, while young English ‘keeper Etienne Green arrived for just over £5m, becoming the new first-choice ‘keeper at the club. Championship-proven goalscorer Adam Armstrong joined for just over £5m after struggling with Southampton, whilst experienced Premier League players Adam Lallana, Christian Benteke and Danny Rose all joined for a combined fee of £5.9m.
The loan deal for Phillip Zinkernagel was also made permanent, with the attacker signed for a bargain price of £2.9m. Cooper also dove into the loan market, bringing in Welsh defender Joe Rodon for the season from Tottenham.
Transfers out: £3.5 million
- Brice Samba (Lens) - £2.1m
- Nuno Da Costa (Valenciennes) - £825k
- Jayden Richardson (Oldham) - £375k
- Joe Lolley (Ipswich) - £105k
- Lyle Taylor (Bristol City) - £97k
- Lewis Grabban (Portsmouth) - Free transfer
- Alexandros Sarantis (Atromitos) - Free transfer
- Jack Colback (Cardiff City) - Loan
- Mohamed Drager (ES Tunis) - Loan
- Will Swan (Grimsby Town) - Loan
- George Shelvey (Gillingham) - Loan
Just £3.5m worth of players were sold in the summer transfer window, with Brice Samba departing the club for France in a deal worth £2.1m which would be way below his market value.
Flop Nuno Da Costa was sold to Valenciennes for nearly £1m, while Jayden Richardson, Joe Lolley and Lyle Taylor were sold for small fees. Lewis Grabban left on a free transfer to Portsmouth.
So, how did Forest line up in their first game after the 2022/23 transfer window? Let's take a look.
Nottingham Forest’s XI at the beginning of the 2022/23 season predicted
In the first game following the closure of the transfer market, Forest started seven of their new signings in a 0-0 draw with Bournemouth. Green started in goal, Meunier and Rodon both started in defence, Garner partnered Lallana in midfield and Darida sat behind Armstrong up top.
Nottingham Forest’s line-up in the first game of the 2022/23 season was as follows: Green; Worrall, Panzo, Rodon; Meunier, Lallana, Garner, Laryea; Darida; Johnson, Armstrong.
Overall, Football Manager 2022 predicts that Forest could make a host of new signings in the transfer market, bringing in a wealth of experience whilst making loan deals permanent. If the signings made can gel together quickly, it could prove a very successful window for Forest.
Would you be happy with these Nottingham Forest transfers? Let us know in the comments below!
