Nuno Espirito Santo's side have emerged as genuine contenders for European competition – and could yet force themselves into the title race
Back in 2015-16, only the most wildly optimistic of Leicester City fans could have predicted that the Premier League title would be making its way to the King Power Stadium – with odds of 5,000-1 famously bucked as 'Match of the Day' host Gary Lineker ended a truly remarkable campaign presenting in his pants.
As the ex-England international prepares to vacate the MOTD hot-seat, one of his final acts may be to confirm another notable achievement by a team from the East Midlands.
There is still too much football to be played for Nottingham Forest to be considered genuine contenders for the top-flight crown in 2025, but stranger things have happened. And as the legendary Brian Clough – a man who knew a thing or two about upsetting the establishment – once said: “I hope anybody’s not stupid enough to write us off.”
GettyPretenders or contenders?
Table-topping Liverpool are next up at the City Ground, with only six points separating the two sides before a ball is kicked on Tuesday – although the men from Merseyside do boast a game in hand over those occupying the banks of the Trent.
Forest have already shown that they have a formula to frustrate their fellow Reds, with a stunning victory secured courtesy of Callum Hudson-Odoi back in September allowing them to live rent free in the head of Arne Slot ever since – as the Dutchman is still irked by the solitary blot of his otherwise impressive Premier League copybook.
Even a historic double over adversaries that they once locked horns with on a regular basis in the late 1970s and early 80s would not necessarily turn Forest from pretenders into contenders, but it would undoubtedly aid their bid to secure a top-four finish. From where Forest have been in the not too distant past, hitting that target would represent a miraculous reversal in fortune – with European qualification of any kind difficult to imagine a matter of months ago.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportBlock out the noise
How have Forest found themselves in this position? Blocking out the noise generated from afar while never being afraid to make plenty themselves has been crucial to a cause that has seen the Reds embrace and revel in the ‘Rebel City’ mentality that local folk hero Robin Hood once forged.
Dissenting voices that emerged in 2022 on the back of Steve Cooper masterminding promotion and bringing a 23-year Premier League exile to a close were ignored as they never bothered to explore why a paper-thin squad that lacked big-time experience and had been leaning heavily on loan stars felt the need to make 30-plus additions. A deaf ear was also turned to those quick to jump aboard the FFP bandwagon in 2023-24 as Forest were stung with a four-point penalty for breaches of Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR). In back-to-back campaigns, the Reds defied the doubters to beat the drop and make ‘Waka Waka’ the soundtrack to two survival parties.
Finishes of 16th and 17th may not have looked like building blocks to the untrained eye, but that is precisely what they were. Club owner Evangelos Marinakis has never been the type to settle for mediocrity and will forever put money where his mouth is. The larger-than-life Greek shipping magnate has been as integral to Forest’s meteoric rise as Cooper, Nuno Espirito Santo, Morgan Gibbs-White or Chris Wood, with his wholehearted commitment casting fellow Premier League chairmen – those who shall remain nameless – in an unfortunate light.
Getty Images SportShrewd investment
For all of the questions that were asked of Forest’s recruitment model on the back of their play-off final win over Huddersfield Town at Wembley, they have arguably become the poster boys for how a step up into the Premier League should be navigated. Their initial business may have appeared haphazard to some, but there was method to the supposed madness that was born more out of necessity than reckless folly. Marinakis made the funds available and was never going to be told to put his chequebook away.
Not every deal has been a success – which is always the case in congested transfer markets – but for every Jesse Lingard or Jonjo Shelvey there has been a Murillo or Anthony Elanga to restore the balance. The challenge now, of course, is keeping an exciting squad intact.
Getty Images SportCombined value
While others have been splashing out billions to stand still, Forest have invested shrewdly in a bid to ensure that they could walk before breaking into a trot. The cornerstones of a defensive unit that has been earning plenty of plaudits (Matz Sels, Ola Aina, Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic) cost a little over £30 million ($37m) between them – just under half of one Wesley Fofana.
Their combined value would now likely extend into nine figures, with Brazilian centre-half Murillo already said to be registering on prominent radars in England and Spain. Rejuvenated wing wizards Hudson-Odoi and Elanga are also seeing their respective stocks soar after walking away from apparent comfort zones at Chelsea and Manchester United, respectively.
Gibbs-White is a senior England international, Elliot Anderson is a playmaker of considerable promise, Ryan Yates has Garibaldi blood running through his veins and will tackle brick walls in the name of Nottingham Forest – annoying as many rival fans as possible as he goes – while Kiwi frontman Wood is enjoying the brightest of Indian summers at 33 years of age.