Football Season Guide

Despite being in the top three for much of the 2024/25 season, a late drop in form saw them win just two of their last eight games, finishing in seventh but clinching European qualification for the first time since 1995/96. A rejuvenated Chris Wood stood out, ending the season on 20 goals for a Forest side that boasted the third-best away record in the league (33 points). This summer, Nottingham have been rather quiet for their standards. Anthony Elanga has been replaced by an equally talented Dan Ndoye, with prodigious Brazilians Igor Jesus and Jair Cunha joining from Botafogo. The club are looking to comply with the FFP rules, but they should be expected to further beef up the squad. That said, the spine has been kept intact and coach Nuno has had the opportunity to work with almost the same team as last term. Yet, Forest haven’t impressed in pre-season, having scored just once in seven friendlies. Their main strength lies in a defence that conceded the fifth-fewest goals last term. No goalkeeper kept more clean sheets than Matz Sels, with the centre-back duo of Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic being one of the most solid defensive pairings in the top flight. Yet, it became obvious this summer than Forest need to work on their attack. Having recorded the joint-lowest scoring tally (58) among the teams who finished top ten last term, Nuno’s side need to create more while remaining clinical in front of goal.