Forest preserved their Premier League status after winning two of their final three games, eventually finishing six points better off than Luton Town, who went back down at the first time of asking. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side could actually have been safer far earlier than the final day, had they not received a four-point deduction for overspending.
The club have brought in a huge number of players over the past two years, while also shipping out a fair few, but iNews revealed on Friday morning that all is still not well on the financial side of things.
Indeed, it’s alleged that Forest will have to sell players before June 30 to prevent another breach of PSR – the club’s accounts must show a maximum loss of £105m across a three-year period, or £35m per season.
Forest’s squad is bursting with talent but some of their marquee players may have to be on the chopping block to help balance the books.
Callum Hudson-Odoi
Potential destination: Tottenham Hotspur
Once the subject of a £70m bid from Bayern Munich, Callum Hudson-Odoi signed for Nottingham Forest for just £3m from Chelsea last summer.
That’s quite the dip in valuation.
After a few difficult years in-and-out of Chelsea’s first-team plans, Hudson-Odoi seems to have finally turned over a new leaf in his career since joining Forest. His eight goals helped Forest stay in the Premier League and have led to Tottenham Hotspur taking an interest in his services heading into the summer window.
If he goes, expect him to cost way more than the £3m Forest paid.
Morgan Gibbs-White
Potential destinations: Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Newcastle United
If there’s one player from the Forest team that’s guaranteed to command a hefty fee, it’s Morgan Gibbs-White.
The attacking midfielder has been the club’s undisputed best player over the last two years, providing the team with some genuine quality and class in the final third.
Expect Forest to receive a club record fee for his services if they are forced to sell their prized asset this summer.
Taiwo Awoniyi
Had Taiwo Awoniyi not struggled so much with injuries during the 2023/24 season, then Forest probably would’ve enjoyed a comfortable season in the Premier League mid-table.
The man who scored the goals which kept Forest up in 2022/23, despite missing 18 games due to various injuries, still actually managed to be the club’s third top goalscorer this past season.
If he can stay fit, he’d be an asset to any top Premier League team in need of a back-up number nine (Man Utd or Arsenal), or a starting number nine for a decent Premier League team in need of some extra firepower (West Ham).
Murillo
Potential destinations: Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Newcastle United
Murillo may be the most ridiculously odd footballer in the Premier League.
One minute he’s a bruising centre-back getting his head on any and everything, the next he’s dribbling past five players in the final third or trying to score from the halfway line (he tried this three times last season alone).
There’s no doubt that Murillo’s enigmatic skillset has caught the eyes of many of the Premier League’s elite clubs – particularly Chelsea who are in need of a new Brazilian centre-back to fill the void left by Thiago Silva.
Danilo
Potential destinations: Man Utd, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool
Midfielders who can win the ball and then retain possession are the hottest commodities in world football right now – as the fact that Chelsea spent £115m on a pretty average one (Moises Caicedo) attests.
Danilo perfectly fits that bill, and has thoroughly impressed in the heart of Forest’s midfield since joining the club in the January 2023 window.
While plenty of clubs could do with a player like Danilo, thanks to Casemiro’s form falling off a cliff, Man Utd are in desperate need of a player like Danilo this summer.
Leave a Reply