Nuno Espírito Santo has conducted excellent work in charge of Nottingham Forest this season, leading them to fifth place in the Premier League after the first 15 outings.
He’s made the Reds a tough outfit to break down, exceeding all expectations in the opening months of 2024/25 after impressive business during the off-season.
Nikola Milenkovic will undoubtedly go down as one of the signings of the season, starting at the heart of Nuno’s backline, providing that real commanding figure that the club have been lacking over the years.
The Serbian scored his first goal for the club in the win over Manchester United at the weekend, now making his £12m transfer fee look like a bargain and worth way more than what they paid for his services.
However, their dealings in the window haven’t all been successful, often wasting a lorryload of money on players who simply aren’t up to the level required of the Premier League.
Nottingham Forest's worst signings since promotion
After fending off interest from West Ham United, the addition of Jesse Lingard gave the supporters a huge buzz of excitement, especially given his top-flight experience and quality.
Despite the early promise, the move would be a disaster, making just 20 appearances in all competitions – scoring twice with none coming in the Premier League.
He cost a pretty penny despite arriving on a free transfer, earning £115k-per-week, making him the highest-paid player in Forest’s history at the time of his move to the City Ground.
Goalkeeper Matt Turner joined in the summer of 2023, looking to provide long-term stability in the goalkeeper department after various loan deals the season prior.
However, the move for the American international was a disaster, featuring 21 times in all competitions before being dropped by Nuno upon his arrival last December.
The former Arsenal talent had a save prevention rate of -5.45, showcasing how often he was to blame for needless errors during his spell as a regular starter.
One other player has been just as disappointing during his own spell in the East Midlands, with Nuno desperately needing to offload him in January.
The player who Nottingham Forest need to offload in January
Attacker Emmanuel Dennis brought about huge excitement after costing £20m during the summer of 2022 – looking to provide the quality needed to secure their top-flight status in the first year after a 23-year absence.
Expectations were also placed on his shoulders given his record the season prior with Watford, scoring ten times despite the Hornets’ eventual relegation back to England’s second tier.
However, his time at the City Ground has been a disaster, only making 25 appearances in all competitions despite former boss Steve Cooper dubbing him as a “game changer” upon his transfer.
“He (Dennis) can be a real game-changer and matchwinner. He did that and showed really good moments last year at Watford.”
The Nigerian only notched two goals in his first season in Nottingham, before being sent on multiple loan spells in 2023/24 to Istanbul Basaksehir and former side Watford.
Neither move could catapult him into Nuno’s plans during pre-season, and despite going on the tour of Spain, he wasn’t included in the Premier League squad and also failed to secure a move away.
The 27-year-old still remains on the club’s books despite not featuring since April 2023, pocketing a small fortune in the process, burning a while in their finances.
Appearances
25
Starts
9
Goals
2
Assists
2
Dribbles completed
15
Pass accuracy
79%
Fouls committed
23
Minutes played
1,199′
Given his £40k-per-week wages, the hierarchy desperately needs to offload the attacker in January, or even offer a mutual termination to get him off the wage bill and potentially allow for new signings.
It’s such a shame to see a player with high expectations fail to deliver, but his time at the City Ground has been dreadful, simply being unable to adhere himself to the fanbase.
There’s no doubt that if they were to try and sell him next month they would be lucky to recoup the majority of the fee spent on his services, but ultimately, anything is a bonus at this point given his lack of impact since arriving.
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