Four Premier League teams are still unbeaten heading into the sixth round of fixtures. Manchester City and Arsenal will surprise few and Fabian Hürzeler’s steadying of the Brighton ship is impressive. No one, however, expected Nottingham Forest to be part of this select group.
Usually summer is a time of transfer chaos at the City Ground as they contemplate a move for every name whispered into the wind but things have become a lot calmer in Forest’s third Premier League season – they have not even sacked a sporting director yet. There was a detailed strategy to recruitment that was not allowed to veer off course by high-profile players who do not fit the team’s structure turning up unannounced.
After Nuno Espírito Santo kept Forest – points deduction and all – in the Premier League, he received the backing to help push the team to the next level. After two seasons of flirting with relegation, Forest are desperate to avoid looking over their shoulder.
They joined the elite by surprise in 2022, sparking a mad scramble in the market to turn a Championship squad into something that could stay up with a sprinkling of Premier League talent. Last season the playing staff was further improved and this summer players capable of performing in the Champions League were added. They host Fulham on Saturday knowing they could finish the day in the top four.
Previously there have been different factions within the club pulling transfer policy in numerous directions. Nuno was clear about what he wanted to help develop the team in the manner he envisaged and he trusted the recruitment staff to deliver suitable players. This allowed for a shortlist to be formed, removing the scattergun nature that brought confusion and imbalance within the squad.
There was a sign of intent early in the summer with the signing of Elliot Anderson from Newcastle. Eddie Howe did not want to lose the midfielder but Forest took advantage of a need to comply with profitability and sustainability rules. It showed the agility, efficiency and financial muscle that Forest possess. Anderson has great potential and would have been important in Newcastle’s push for the top four but instead will be integral to Nuno’s plans in a squad with an average age of just over 25.
Defending set pieces was a weak point for Forest last season, with neither Nuno nor his predecessor, Steve Cooper, able to solve the issue. Nuno has turned Forest into the second-best defence in terms of xG against this season. The idea was to find a centre-back who could dominate in the air to play alongside Murillo, the Brazilian who was being tracked by a number of top clubs. Nikola Milenkovic was targeted and a €12m (£10m) fee agreed with Fiorentina for a man who looks willing to head bricks to avoid conceding.
Nuno has insisted on more options on the wing since being appointed last December. The signing of Gio Reyna on loan in January was a failure but Forest have rectified that with long-term investments in Jota Silva and Ramón Sosa, providing backup for Callum Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Elanga. Jota and Sosa are examples of the club’s recruitment staff finding players at less traditional clubs.
The club use a statistics-driven model reintroduced by the recently installed global technical director, George Syrianos. The new chief scout, Pedro Ferreira, who previously worked for Benfica, has been credited with spotting some of the best young talent to come out of the Portuguese club’s academy in recent years.
Jota was bought for €7m from Vitória de Guimarães, who finished fifth in the Portuguese league, and is regarded as an underrated talent whose value will increase. Sosa’s statistics for the Argentinian side Talleres brought him to the attention of Forest, who did a deep video dive on the Paraguayan before deciding he had what it takes to cope in England, and the early signs are promising.
Loan moves for more experience in the form of Àlex Moreno, a left-back previously targeted two years ago, and James Ward-Prowse made sense for all involved but the average age of the signings was 23.1. Moreno was not interested in 2022 but dropped to third choice at Aston Villa and was convinced over a video call that Forest could be the place to build his reputation in England.
It was not a perfect summer because Forest were disappointed by their failure to secure another striker. Deals for Eddie Nketiah and the Egyptian Omar Marmoush got to an advanced stage but neither was completed. Nuno does, however, have Chris Wood and Taiwo Awoniyi. The New Zealand international has three goals in five matches, and a fully fit Awoniyi is used to punishing defences, earning interest from Chelsea in the past.
Joined-up thinking from top to bottom is paying dividends. Nine points have been accrued from five matches, including a shock win at Anfield, where Nuno outsmarted Arne Slot and stopped Liverpool from playing.
Nuno packed the midfield before bringing on Hudson-Odoi and Elanga to grab the points, the former scoring the only goal of the match. It showed Forest have numerous ways of playing, the team is malleable thanks to the transfer strategy. There is always a fear the club is seconds away from self-combustion but at the moment things are calm on the banks of the Trent. Forest finally have a long-term process – maintaining patience could be the key in the short term too.
