Nottingham Forest

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

The turning point of the season was...

It depends which way you look at it. It could be the fall out between Edu and Nuno Espirito Santo last summer, which ultimately paved the way for Nuno's departure after just three games and the chaos that came in the following weeks and months.

Or it is appointing Vitor Pereira in February, who steadied the ship, reassured the players and guided Forest to safety.

This season has exceeded/not matched up to expectation because...

Forest's recent seasons have not been quiet - relegation battles or challenging for Champions League qualification - and this was no exception. It matched the expectation of upheaval but it did not meet what was demanded on the pitch. Forest wanted to build on last season's seventh place, especially after spending £180m, and did not plan for a season of struggle.

Based off performances this year, the player who could break through next campaign is...

Defender Zach Abbott is highly rated by Vitor Pereira, despite making only 10 appearances this season, and could make a further step up next term.

The one player/coach who deserves more credit is...

Elliot Anderson and Morgan Gibbs-White grabbed most of the headlines but Nikola Milenkovic continued to do his job at the back, perhaps not as consistently as the previous season but who was? He remains crucial to Forest while striker Igor Jesus deserves plaudits in his role in Chris Wood's absence as he adapted to the Premier League in his debut season.

The goal for the summer has to be...

Stability. Vitor Pereira has already called for that and he will sign a new contract over the summer, having penned an 18-month deal when he joined in February. There needs to be calm, not chaos, over the summer.

Nottingham Forest will hold talks with 28-year-old midfielder Ibrahim Sangare over a new contract amid interest in the Ivorian from Manchester United and Besiktas. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

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We asked for your views on which players Nottingham Forest should sign from the three relegated Premier League sides Wolves,Burnley and West Ham United..

Here are some of your suggestions:

Toby: I would take a punt on Hugo Bueno and Rodrigo Gomes from Wolves. They are both promising players, who looked good in a poor team. Mateus Fernandes from West Ham, who we were linked with last summer, is also someone who should be high on our list. I wouldn't mind either Taty Castellanos or Callum Wilson from there too. From Burnley, I could only really say Zian Flemming - but would he get near the starting XI? I'm not sure.

David: For me, Fernandes from West Ham would make a better signing than Hayden Hackney from Middlesbrough. Andre and Joao Gomes from Wolves would also bolster the team and fit in with the other Portuguese speakers at the club.

Phil: We should look at Jarrod Bowen from West Ham. He is a very good team player who gives 100%, he has a vast wealth of experience and he knows what is required to succeed in the Premier League.

Stewart: Three choices for me. Jose Sa from Wolves could be ideal back-up for Matz Sels. Flemming from Burnley could be ideal back-up for Chris Wood up front. The cherry on top would be Bowen from West Ham, to give the attack something different and unexpected.

Roger: I think we need to take a good look around the world first, before rushing to use the Championship market for often overpriced players. There is a lot of potential talent to be found abroad.

Colin Fray
BBC Radio Nottingham reporter

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The most significant moment of the season - good or bad - was...

Winning at Midtjylland in the Europa League. Identified as the night when Nottingham Forest's fringe players delivered, it was the moment Vitor Pereira says he knew he had a squad capable of staying up. They only lost once - very controversially - in the Premier League after that.

The season has been a success because...

Even with four head coaches, the club has managed to combine Premier League survival with a first European campaign for 30 years and a run to the semi-finals.

The unsung hero of the season is...

Is it possible to call the player of the year the unsung hero? Given all the headlines and plaudits rightly handed to the likes of Elliot Anderson and Morgan Gibbs-White this season, it was great to see Neco Williams crowned player of year. He has quietly gone about his business and he has played at a consistently high level all season.

If there is a player or staff member with more to do in future it is...

James McAtee. It has been a difficult first season at Forest for the attacking midfielder but more than one of Forest's head coaches this season has talked about the quality he shows in training and that he can do things others can't. Maybe next season will be when he flourishes.

The major club issue or talking point lurking is...

As always at this time of year, the major club issue lurking is whether they will lose any of their star talents.

There is obviously a lot of talk about Anderson and it will be interesting to see Forest's stance on that during the summer. Can they keep him and, if that seems unlikely, how can they reinvest the club-record fee he would attract in order to compensate for his loss?

The reason for hope going forward is...

The last 10 games of the Premier League season. Under immense pressure, and with a squad decimated by injury, they lost just once (amid hugely controversial circumstances of course) to secure Premier League survival.

Take away midweek European football, add in some shrewd summer investment and a new contract for Pereira, who has done an incredible job to reunite and regalvanise the club, and that certainly equals a recipe for hope.

Image source, Getty Images

Two-time Nottingham Forest European Cup winning captain John McGovern has paid tribute to former team-mate John Robertson.

Robertson, widely regarded as one of Forest's greatest players, died aged 72 at Christmas and after the final game of the season the club conducted a naming ceremony to mark the Bridgford Stand being renamed the John Robertson Stand in his honour.

Asked how Robertson would react to having a stand named after him at the City Ground, McGovern told the Shut Up And Show More Football podcast: "Flabbergasted I would think!

"John was what you'd call one of the lads - the lads being a very good football team! He fitted in brilliantly and was the best player in that team.

"It was a marriage made in heaven. You had a team that wanted to play football managed by Peter Taylor and Brian Clough, which meant all the players would keep their feet on the ground.

"In John's case there was no need for that, he would always keep his feet on the ground. Especially when he was running past full-backs which he did regularly at the time!

"He was the best player in our side, the most consistent, and we were just glad he didn't get injured because it would be so difficult to replace him if he was out for a couple of weeks."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

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The latest episode of Shut Up And Show More Football has landed.

BBC Radio Nottingham's Colin Fray is joined by former Forest midfielder Steve Hodge to reflect on a season with "lots of sub-plots".

Two-time European Cup winning captain John McGovern also reminisces about playing alongside the late John Robertson.

Plus, there are exclusive interviews with player of the season Neco Williams and former club midfielder David Phillips.

Listen below or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

Explore all Nottingham Forest content on BBC Sounds

The curtain has officially come down on the 2025-26 Premier League season.

Players will depart and squads will be strengthened when the summer transfer window opens on Monday, 15 June.

With Wolves, Burnley and West Ham United all heading down to the Championship - would you be keen to poach any of their players?

Who would be good value for money and why? Which name would be best to avoid?

Let us know your thoughts here

Opta have conjured up their Premier League team of the season based on data collected throughout the 2025-26 Premier League campaign.

One Nottingham Forest player has been selected in the XI following a mixed campaign, which saw the Reds finish five points clear of the relegation zone after making three managerial changes.

On Elliot Anderson, Opta said: Nottingham Forest's season may have had an element of chaos to it, being the first-ever team to have four permanent managers in a single Premier League season, but the ever-present Anderson provided a degree of stability.

Among all the players, he had the most touches (3,300), won the most duels (297), won the most fouls (80) and won the most possession overall (306).

Among the central midfielders, he made the most line-breaking passes (376), completed the most overall passes (2,038) and made the most dribbles (95).

He was the first player to win possession more than 300 times and make more than 100 tackles in a Premier League season since Declan Rice in 2019-20. In addition, his 297 duels won were the best by an English midfielder in a campaign since records began in 2006-07.

He worked hard out of possession too, with his 1,895 high-intensity pressures being the most applied by a central midfielder.

• Read the rest of Opta's picks here - and cross-reference it with Troy Deeney's team of the season here

Manchester City are prioritising a move for Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson as they look to kick-start the post-Pep Guardiola era. (Mail), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

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Pat Riddell
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Season score out of 10 and overriding emotion?

3/10... possibly 4/10. It has literally been a season of four parts - four different managers and four different sets of emotions. From the excitement at the start of the season, to almost immediate disappointment, dissolution, and then hope and pride again.

Best moment and why?

Was it taking a 1-0 lead into the second leg of our Europa League semi-final? Was it beating Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield? Or was it thrashing Sunderland 5-0 when we were desperately fighting relegation? For a disappointing season, there has been a number of moments - but perhaps just being in Europe for the first time in 30 years was a season-long high.

Player of season and why?

Neco Williams was the frontrunner for a long time - throughout the good and the bad, he was unbelievably consistent. But it is impossible not to mention Elliot Anderson, whose statistics prove he is already an elite player. However, it was Morgan Gibbs-White who really shone in the final run-in. He produced possibly the best form of his life, which makes his England exclusion all the more baffling. His 18 goals and seven assists is still only half the story - his commitment, dedication and work-rate are on another level.

Unsung hero and why?

Ibrahim Sangare is perhaps the quiet revelation of this season. The record signing from almost three years ago has finally proven he is the player many of us knew he could be, even after contracting malaria as well as numerous injuries. Our midfield looked bereft without him in the games he wasn't available.

Biggest disappointment?

Appointing Ange Postecoglou. Everybody knew it was doomed - except the board. In some ways, it is better that it went even worse than imagined and he was gone before any further damage was done.

What needs to change this summer?

Our transfer policy because it didn't exactly go to plan last summer. I imagine several of those signings might be off to other clubs, but the squad needs Premier League-ready players to really strengthen.

Major hope for next season?

To actually have a relatively steady season of growth and progression. Staying well clear of the bottom three and pushing hard for top 10, or even higher, would represent a level of success after some of the turmoil we have been through.

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Manchester City are leading the race to sign Elliot Anderson, with the Nottingham Forest midfielder leaning towards a move to Etihad Stadium instead of rivals Manchester United.

There is a growing expectation Anderson will leave the City Ground this summer.

United are unwilling to overpay, or get drawn into protracted negotiations.

No deal has been struck between Forest and City and the clubs are far apart on their valuation for the 23-year-old, meaning the situation could still change.

• Read the full news article

Neco Williams believes Nottingham Forest "belong in Europe" and says everyone at the club will "do everything they can" to ensure the Reds secure a spot in either the Champions League, Europa League or Conference League next season.

Vitor Pereira's side reached the Europa League semi-finals but finished just five points above the Premier League relegation zone this season - thought was also only nine points off qualifying for the Conference League.

"Having had that taste of European football this season, that is where I believe Nottingham Forest belong," Williams told BBC Radio Nottingham. "We will do everything we can to achieve that next season.

"This season has been difficult, but there have been lots of memories made. It has been a season us boys can be proud of, but we are just looking forward to next season now.

"Our aim [as a club] is to try to get European football every season.

"I do think that is where we should be aiming at, especially with the owner we have, the ambition he has and the support he gives us as players.

"We will do everything we can to achieve it."

Hit play above to hear the full interview, or listen on BBC Sounds here

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Now the curtain has come down on the 2025-26 Premier League campaign, here is my end-of-season review - with a look back to what I predicted in August.

Prediction: 10th

It is ridiculous that Nottingham Forest found themselves fighting relegation until late in the season, especially given they possess players of the highest quality such as Elliot Anderson and Morgan Gibbs-White.

This was the consequence of having four managers in one season.

In appointing Ange Postecoglou to succeed Nuno Espirito Santo, Forest went from one style to another. He was sacked after 39 days and then Sean Dyche, the supposedly pragmatic choice, lasted only 114 days.

Vitor Pereira restored calm and performances finally reflected the standard of the squad.

There is a big summer ahead, though, given the speculation around the future of Anderson.

What I said in August: "No-one can question the ambition of owner Evangelos Marinakis."

Check out the rest of my review here

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Nottingham Forest will fight to keep Morgan Gibbs-White and Elliot Anderson, with Vitor Pereira insisting they need to continue to build.

The duo will be in-demand this summer with Manchester City and Manchester United interested in England midfielder Anderson.

Gibbs-White only signed a new three-year deal last summer - after Tottenham came in for him - while Murillo penned a one-year extension to 2029 at the weekend.

But after finishing 16th in the Premier League, Pereira outlined his views about the summer.

He said: "They are top players and they deserve the top of the world.

"But I believe if we want to compete for different goals, we need to keep the best players.

"If not, if you change every season, it is difficult to be consistent and difficult to build something stronger.

"We cannot control the market, of course, but I think we are aligned; what I think and what the club thinks is to try to keep most of them and to try to control the market."

The Portuguese was unhappy with Wolves' transfer business last summer while he was at Molineux, believing the club moved too slowly and did not land his top targets.

This time, Pereira wants Forest to act quickly in the window to avoid suffering another season of struggle.

He said: "I believe we have a good squad and have good players. We need to keep most of them and just add competition here and there.

"Let's prepare ourselves to be ready from the beginning. If not, you start losing before you start the season.

"If you start without a squad, start with a lot of players missing, a lot of positions missing and important players [missing] and you start the first games without being prepared, it is a disaster.

"This league punishes you if you make mistakes."

We asked for your views as Nottingham Forest ended their season with a draw against Bournemouth.

Here are some of your comments:

Kris: This had an end-of-season feel to it, not quite going through the motions, but a few players seemed to have an eye on the World Cup. Morgan Gibbs-White made his point, but it's one that will fall on deaf ears. The focus for us now has to be a settled pre-season and minimal rebuild before another year of Premier League football.

David: If we can keep the squad together for next season, Champions League is possible!

Paul: Good, solid Premier League performance. Crazy season - fun but exhausting in Europe, largely stressful and disappointing in the league, but only nine points off Europe again after all. Need some stability. If we keep the bulk core of the team and add a couple of new players, including a striker, we'll be in the Champions League places soon enough! Up the Reds!

Clive: Our form at the end of the season is a true reflection of our strengths and abilities. No surprise, considering Vitor and Nuno are similar managers. However, we need to avoid the madness of the changes in between. Nuno embarrassed the owner with his statement, but ultimately, he was correct that Edu was the issue. Mr Marinakis has, I hope, taken to heart the difference between the Premier League and other leagues. We must keep as many players as possible, while wishing the best for those that make us a profit. Exploring the future with this team and manager has wonderful opportunities.

Andy: Well, that's it, another season over and now it's time to relax and get ready for the World Cup - and then we look to go again. If we can keep everyone together and bring in a couple of players to strengthen in certain areas - a keeper, full-back, centre-back and midfielders - we can get back in Europe. A Conference League finish will be great and a good cup run too.

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Boss Vitor Pereira has called for stability at Nottingham Forest after their season of upheaval.

The 57-year-old replaced Sean Dyche in February to become Forest's fourth head coach of the season.

Nuno Espirito Santo was dismissed three games into the season, while Ange Postecoglou lasted just 39 days.

Pereira eventually guided Forest to safety with two games to spare, having also taken them to the Europa League semi-finals, but wants a calmer season at the City Ground next term.

"We need stability. In my opinion, now we have created the true spirit. We have friendship and we feel confidence in each other. They believe in the staff and we believe in the players," Pereira said.

"They feel we are here to help them. We are not here to criticise. When they are not at their best level, we are here to try to help them to be at their best level.

"With tactical work, creating the spirit to fight and to play. With time, we can be stronger next season.

"When I say it is important to have the players to work and to prepare for the first games in the league, that is what I believe."

Nottingham Forest are preparing a move for 23-year-old English midfielder Hayden Hackney from Middlesbrough.(Teamtalk), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

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Pundits Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney join host Kelly Cates to bring you the action and talking points from all 10 fixtures on the final day of the Premier League season.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Tottenham 1-0 Everton

• West Ham United 3-0 Leeds United

• Crystal Palace 1-2 Arsenal

• Brighton 0-3 Manchester United