Nottingham Forest News, Transfers, Opinion & Match Reports

Following Thomas Frank’s departure from Brentford, Nottingham Forest’s interest in two of the Bees’ star players remains.

Unfortunately, after tenuous links between Forest and Bryan Mbeumo, it looks as though the Cameroon international has opted for Manchester United.

Nevertheless, Nuno Espirito Santo still has his sights set on Yoane Wissa, with Forest reportedly sending a fresh bid for Wissa after falling short of signing the striker in January.

Frank’s move to Tottenham has seemingly complicated matters, however.

Tottenham join race for Yoane Wissa as Thomas Frank wants the striker with him in North London

According to a report by the Guardian, Frank has wasted no time in identifying the players he wants at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Wissa is among these, with the report stating ‘that there have been internal discussions about a move for [the striker]’.

The Guardian goes on to add that Nottingham Forest ‘remain interested in [Wissa], although Brentford are unlikely to sell the 28-year-old for less than £40m given they have an option to extend his contract, which expires next year, by a further 12 months.’

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Providing they deem £40m as a fair valuation, that fee should present no issues to the Reds.

Tottenham’s arrival on the scene does throw a rather large spanner in the works, however.

Presented with an opportunity to stay in London and play Champions League football under a manager he knows extremely well, compared with Europa Conference League football in a completely different part of the country, could very well turn Wissa’s head towards Spurs, leaving Forest to miss out on the striker once again.

Attention could turn to Dusan Vlahovic if Yoane Wissa bid fails

If Nottingham Forest do fall short in their pursuit of Wissa, there are other targets they can pursue.

Igor Jesus is one Forest appear to have sealed already, the Brazilian set to make the move to the City Ground once his Club World Cup commitments with Botafogo cease.

In recent days, Forest have also been linked with Dusan Vlahovic. While reportedly available for just £25m, the Serbian’s £190,000-a-week wage demands present a problem.

Indeed, Reds fans have expressed concern about Vlahovic’s wages, with others wanting Forest to push for Wissa instead.

Considering Tottenham’s pull to the striker with Frank at the helm, those fans might not get their wish. However, in Vlahovic, they have a target admired by multiple clubs in Europe.

As the summer window progresses, additional names and opportunities are likely to present themselves as well.

Nottingham Forest picked up a massive three points away at Tottenham Hotspur on Easter Monday.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side raced into a two-goal lead inside the opening 15 minutes, with Elliot Anderson and Chris Wood on the scoresheet.

Harry Toffolo produced one of his best performances in a Forest shirt as he pulled off a sensational goal-line clearance.

Michael Owen was full of praise for Elliot Anderson, who pulled the strings in the Nottingham Forest midfield.

Victory for Nottingham Forest moves them back into third with just five games remaining of the season, so they’re well-placed to qualify for the Champions League.

Tottenham Hotspur fans swarmed to social media after the game to rip into Forest midfielder Ryan Yates, who’s built up a reputation for rattling opposition supporters.

Tottenham Hotspur fans rattled by Nottingham Forest star Ryan Yates

Ryan Yates replaced Nicolas Dominguez in the second half and produced a battling performance in midfield.

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The Forest star isn’t shy of rolling his sleeves up and getting stuck in and it’s fair to say he rattled a few Spurs fans on social media last night.

@LucasTHFCx posted: “Ryan Yates is genuinely the least talented footballer I’ve ever seen. Every “hard man” in football has at least a little bit of actual footballing ability, he has absolutely none. It’s like watching a Sunday league player who won a competition to play in the prem.”

@Andy_Doods added: “Just when this game didn’t feel like it could get more annoying, Forest bring on Ryan Yates!”

“I’m sorry all Ryan Yates does is foul there’s no way this man is a Premier League footballer,” @Unc1eAnt said.

@Doki_thfc commented: “Don’t think I ever watched a game of football where Ryan Yates hasn’t been carded.”

“Good to see that Ryan Yates is still a disgusting player,” @D7Health said.

@THFCHarvey18 posted: “Cannot f—— stand Ryan Yates. Average footballer.”

Forest fans love Yates winding up opposition fans

Forest supporters certainly enjoyed reading the Spurs meltdown about Yates last night.

“The Ryan Yates X meltdown is always my favourite bedtime reading,” @gemilouisexo said.

@timsrunworld added: “If you really want to enjoy that win at Spurs, search Ryan Yates on Twitter, it’s absolutely wonderful!”

“Searching Ryan Yates on here after we’ve won a game is truly delightful stuff,” @liampsmith91 commented.

For all of the criticism Yates receives, Forest supporters have made sure to hail their captain on social media.

After all, he’s played a vital role in the club’s recent success and you really do need players of his profile in the Premier League.

Attention now turns towards Thursday as Nuno’s side play host to Brentford at the City Ground in what’s expected to be a terrific atmosphere.

Five cup finals remain for The Tricky Trees.

Nottingham Forest are facing Tottenham tomorrow, looking to hit their straps once again after two successive defeats against Aston Villa and Everton.

The Reds need to get back to winning ways as quickly as possible, and with the FA Cup semi-final to come against Manchester City, there really is no time like the present.

Nuno Espirito Santo will be keen to make sure that his team can revive their recent form at a good point of the season to try and qualify for the Champions League next season.

It would be a shame for the season to simply peter out and Forest cling on for a place in either the Europa League or the Conference League, and a really big opportunity is on offer for the club.

Chris Sutton makes Tottenham vs Nottingham Forest prediction

Although Tottenham have been a basket case on the pitch this season, tomorrow night will still be a tricky game for Forest, given the quality that Spurs have at their disposal.

Tottenham are in the Europa League semi-finals, however, and with that in mind, perhaps their priorities will now be elsewhere ahead of the game with Forest on Monday.

Sutton expects a cagey affair for his boyhood club and he believes that the game will finish in a 1-1 draw at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

He told BBC Sport: “Nottingham Forest are the counter-attack kings and they have the tools to get another win like the one they got over Spurs at the City Ground in December.

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“Forest have hit a bit of a blip lately, though, and they don’t appear to be quite the same force they were a few weeks ago.

“They are desperate for a win here to get their top-five bid back on track and Nuno Espirito Santo would love to get it on his return to Tottenham, where he did not last long as manager, but a draw feels more likely to me.”

Forest must stick together during crucial run-in

Now is not the time for supporters to start bashing the team. It’s already been a brilliant season and it’s refreshing not to be in the midst of a relegation battle.

Given that the Premier League is very tough, there could be more bumps to come in the road but ultimately, Forest have to stick together and try to get that big win tomorrow night.

Ola Aina being injured has unbalanced the defence a little bit but all is not lots and with six games left to play, Forest still have a wonderful opportunity to do something special this season.

Nottingham Forest need a victory against Tottenham to get back in control of their Champions League fate, and to avoid a damning Nuno Espirito Santo record.

Peter Bankes will referee the Tottenham game, which will have sent some alarm bells given his recent history with the club, but distractions cannot be focused on too much with Champions League football at stake.

To help matters, Espirito Santo expects Chris Wood to be better against Spurs after an underwhelming display against Everton on his return to injury, where a Murillo defensive error cost Forest in the 1-0 defeat.

There’s no hiding the importance of Monday’s clash as Forest look to get back on track but to add extra pressure to proceedings, Espirito Santo will be looking to avoid matching a embarassing personal record.

Nuno Espirito Santo on verge of matching defeat record

The Portuguese boss has been excellent as Forest manager since taking over from Steve Cooper, with barely a blemish to his record as he guides the Reds into hopeful Continental qualification.

However, with consecutive defeats, Espirito Santo is on the verge of matching his worst run of results as Forest boss, dating back over a year ago when he was fighting to keep the club in the Premier League.

The three defeats were:

With Heung-min Son out injured for Spurs and this season’s earlier win against the North London club, there should be hope that Espirito Santo can avoid matching his worst ever Forest run, but Spurs will come into the game on the high of reaching the Europa League semi-final.

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As well as this more recent confidence, Spurs can take encouragement from the last time Espirito Santo’s Forest travelled to face them in London.

Nottingham Forest have struggled at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium

In April 2024, after Forest’s three consecutive defeats, they travelled to face Tottenham with the relegation scrap still very much on.

It wasn’t a profitable trip either, with Forest losing 3-1 to Spurs after goals by Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro, as well as an own goal by Murillo.

Nottingham Forest travel down to London on Monday to face Tottenham Hotspur, but a Premier League decision ahead of the clash will already have heads spinning.

Forest could do with a confidence booster after two consecutive defeats and Monday could provide just that, given that Forest beat Spurs on Boxing Day in the reverse fixture.

After a rare error by Murillo against Everton resulted in a loss at the City Ground last time out, the Reds have dropped to fourth in the Premier League table, still in control of their Champions League destiny but with Manchester City, Chelsea and Aston Villa breathing down their necks.

A boost has already come in the form of Heung-min Son being unavailable for Spurs due to injury, but the Premier League’s announcement on the fixture is far from exciting.

Nottingham Forest learn referee decision for Tottenham clash

Given Evangelos Marinakis’ VAR rant in December, it’s hard to think of a referee that Forest would prefer to see in charge for a game, but the selected official for the Tottenham match has recent history with Nuno Espirito Santo’s side.

Announced by the Premier League, Peter Bankes will referee Monday’s game, with Tony Harrington as fourth official and John Brooks on VAR.

Bankes gave Newcastle a controversial penalty against Forest in February but more recently, the Premier League official was in charge of the Reds’ FA Cup quarter-final when Forest had a penalty overturned, making Bankes a less than popular figure at the City Ground.

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All may not be lost for Forest, though, as while Bankes has made recent errors that have impacted Espirito Santo’s side, his record when refereeing the Reds is surprisingly positive.

Peter Bankes has been Nottingham Forest’s lucky charm

Forest are no strangers to referee errors from Bankes or otherwise, but when delving further into the data, it turns out that the Lancashire-born official has actually been a part of plenty of positive results for the Reds.

Alongside the FA Cup win over Brighton this season, Bankes also officiated Forest’s 3-0 win over Wolves in January, contributing to 11 Forest wins in his 23 matches in charge.

In fact, these 11 wins actually make Forest the team he has refereed to victory the most in his career, joint with Sheffield United.

To compare, Bankes has only refereed six Tottenham wins so there is a slight omen in the way of Forest for Monday, if fans can look past his errors so far this season.

Nottingham Forest will need to return to form on Monday evening against Tottenham and have just received a boost ahead of the fixture.

Back-to-back Premier League defeats to Aston Villa and Everton have seen Nuno Espirito Santo’s side drop to fourth in the table after having a vice-like grip on third for so long.

Chris Wood struggled against Everton in his first game back from the injury he suffered playing for New Zealand, but he wasn’t the only one not at his best, as even Murillo made an error against Everton.

The Forest manager will be desperate for a response on Monday to ease the pressure on the Champions League race, with the news coming from the Tottenham camp providing the perfect boost.

Heung-min Son set to miss Nottingham Forest clash

Spurs themselves will be feeling positive after reaching the Europa League semi-final on Thursday, but Ange Postecoglou has had little time to celebrate the achievement due to difficult injury news regarding Heung-Min Son and James Maddison.

Postecoglou said: “Sonny will still be out. He’s been dealing with this foot problem for a while, so it’s probably as good a time as any to give him the right time to get over it so he’ll definitely miss Monday night as well.”

On Maddison, the Spurs boss added: “He’ll [Maddison] probably be a bit sore, so he’s probably a doubt for Monday.”

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Injuries have become a problem for Nuno Espirito Santo more recently as Ola Aina has been injured, but on this occasion, Forest can exploit their opponent’s fitness issues. However, very little should change for the Reds as they already laid out a perfect blueprint to beat Spurs in December.

Nottingham Forest can replicate December’s Tottenham win

There was a suggestion that Postecoglou could’ve been sacked if Spurs didn’t win on Thursday, but after surviving that scare, the Australian will know that Forest will pose a threat that he couldn’t handle back in December.

Forest beat Spurs 1-0 in a typically solid Espirito Santo performance on Boxing Day, with the stats showing that Postecoglou’s side played right into the Reds’ hands.

Giving up the ball, Forest had a higher xG through their counterattacking prowess, completing 19 long balls to quickly break on Spurs, whilst also winning more duels to protect Anthony Elanga’s opening goal.

Nottingham Forest are now busy establishing themselves in the Premier League and it’s down largely to one man.

Steve Cooper was an inspired appointment made by Evangelos Marinakis, with former sporting director Dane Murphy also taking a large slice of the credit for his appointment.

Cooper’s arrival at the club sparked a remarkable transformation. He took the club from the bottom of the Championship to the Premier League in a matter of months and then managed to keep them there.

The squad was largely in place when Cooper arrived and it proved to be that the Forest head coach simply needed to find a winning formula and add some quality in January to kick-start the revival.

Stuart Broad reminsices about Steve Cooper’s Forest team

Two of the promotion-winning Forest team are currently playing alongside each other for Tottenham in the Premier League.

Brennan Johnson and Djed Spence were mainstays in the promotion campaign, with the pair instrumental to getting the club back into the Premier League.

On Sunday, the pair rolled back the years a little bit with Spence setting up Johnson for one of his two goals in a 3-1 victory over Southampton.

Stuart Broad reminisced on social media and although he was happy for the pair, he doesn’t think either are a patch on the current crop.

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Brennan Johnson linked with Forest return

It was claimed last month that Forest were considering a move to re-sign Johnson in the summer to bolster a European campaign.

However, it feels like a non-starter from a Forest perspective, with Daniel Levy unlikely to do business on the cheap just two summers after signing Johnson for £47.5 million.

Johnson is enjoying a pretty steady season in the Tottenham team and in terms of his ability, it’s hard to deny he’d be a useful signing.

However, Forest have moved on and given the money that would be needed to bring him back, there is likely to be better quality at a more attractive price than Johnson offers right now.

it’s great to see both Johnson and Spence producing the goods for Spurs but as far as Forest are concerned, both are now part of the past rather than the present.