Nottingham Forest have confirmed that 18 players are leaving the club after the end of their contracts and loan deals.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side finished 17th in the Premier League this season after a second successive campaign battling relegation.
The club have invested heavily since their return to the top flight and have had a high turnover of players under owner Evangelos Marinakis.
Now they have confirmed that 18 players are departing – including a World Cup winner, Champions League victor, and one individual who declined to terminate his £40,000-per-week deal earlier this season.
‘The club would like to thank each player for their contribution during their time on Trentside and wish them well for the future,’ Forest said in a statement. So, who are the players?
Harry Arter, Wayne Hennessey, Cheikhou Kouyate, Loic Mbe Soh, Scott McKenna and Felipe have been let go following the expiry of their contracts,
The situation of Arter is particularly interesting. He joined in 2020 but quickly fell out of favour and has not played for Forest since January 2021.
Last September he refused to terminate his £40,000-per-week deal at the City Ground, with the club desperate to get rid after he had turned up for pre-season two kilograms overweight.
A source revealed to Mail Sport that an unnamed Dubai side made an offer but were only willing to sanction a £1000-per-week salary that Arter was unwilling to accept.
Meanwhile, Brazilian defender Felipe is retiring from football aged 35, having also plied his trade for the likes of Porto and Atletico Madrid before joining Forest in 2023.
Scott McKenna was a consistent force in their promotion-winning 2021-22 season but has since struggled for regular game time.
Seven academy players have also been let go: Kevin Adueni, Tony Gbopo, Ethan Hull, Ateef Konate, Henry Lister, Elijah Morgan and Theo Robinson.
Meanwhile, five loanees will are returning to their parent clubs as scheduled: Gonzalo Montiel, Divock Origi, Gio Reyna, Rodrigo Ribeiro and Nuno Tavares.
Right-back Montiel, who scored the winning penalty in the 2022 World Cup final for Argentina, returns to Sevilla after making 19 appearances.
He also scored the winning spot-kick for the Spanish side in the 2023 Europa league final.
Meanwhile, Origi returns to AC Milan following a tricky spell at the City Ground. He only scored once in the 22 games he played, and none in the Premier League.
He scored twice in Liverpool’s incredible comeback 2019 Champions League semi-final comeback against Barcelona before netting against Tottenham in the final.
Attacking midfielder Reyna struggled for game time at Forest and goes back to Borussia Dortmund.
Ribeiro returns to Sporting Lisbon having played five games, while Tavares is shipped back to Arsenal after 12 appearances.
Meanwhile, Willy Boly has inked a new one-year contract with the club holding an extension option for a second year, while Forest have also triggered a one-year extension option in Ola Aina’s contract.
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