Guardian writers’ predicted position: 16th (NB: this is not necessarily Will Unwin’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)
Last season’s position: 17th
Prospects
The important thing at Forest is for the focus to be on the pitch rather than their social media channels or owner. Lessons are slowly being learned and the scatter-gun recruitment has been replaced by something akin to strategy with deals being done early, allowing players to settle into their surroundings before the season begins. A key problem last season was the whopping load of goals conceded from set pieces. In an attempt to alleviate this, centre-back Nikola Milkenkovic, a man who looks willing to head a brick wall away, joined from Fiorentina, while they have a 6ft 8in goalkeeper from Brazil.
Nuno Espírito Santo has plenty of wingers to choose from, something he has insisted on since taking the job. Jota Silva is the latest to join the ranks; he is inexperienced at the highest level but not lacking in talent, so will provide good support to Anthony Elanga, Callum Hudson-Odoi and another new arrival Elliott Anderson. Striker Taiwo Awoniyi was limited to 20 league appearances in an injury-plagued season but keeping him fit could be enough to help fire Forest to the top-half position they crave and believe is achievable.
Efficient in the market, doing a lot of early business to ensure the squad can come together quickly, has been a welcome change. There were fears Murillo or Morgan Gibbs-White would be sold to ease financial pressures but instead Moussa Niakhaté was transferred to Lyon for a healthy profit to bring cheer to the accounts. The Brazilian centre-back Murillo impressed in his first season and is only likely to get better, while his compatriot Danilo is another promising player who will be aiming to ensure Forest match their personal ambitions.
Forest face Bournemouth and Wolves at home, with a trip to Southampton sandwiched between, for their first three games. They should not fear any of those opponents and will hope to build a platform for a better campaign after finishing 16th and 17th in the past two seasons.
The manager
Nuno faced a hard act in following the extremely popular Steve Cooper and it took time for fans to warm to him, but he delivered what everyone wanted in survival. The team did improve after he took over in late December, making the defence more solid and bringing greater fluidity in attack. He is never one to give too much away, but was clearly relieved when the season concluded with success, giving him the chance to mould a team in his desire, although that brings added pressure.
Off-field picture
Since their arrival in the Premier League, there has been plenty of chaos swirling around the City Ground. Last season included a points deduction, a beloved manager sacked and another swathe of transfer activity. Things are a touch calmer at the moment, although history suggests Forest like to take a gamble on a player each window and there is the prospect of expanding the stadium after the council agreed to sell land to the club to aid plans. Massive price hikes brought uproar among supporters as they had to get their heads around the prospect of a 111% increase in some children’s tickets, while some adult ones went up by 28%.
Breakout star
An alice band and wearing his socks low has earned Jota Silva the nickname “the Portuguese Grealish”. The winger was playing amateur football aged 19 but has enjoyed an impressive rise and made his international debut in March. Forest believe the 25-year-old to be a bargain after snapping him up for £5m from Vitória Guimarães, believing him to be an underrated talent. He comes alive in the final third and can also be used as a striker in addition to wide on the left. During his two seasons with Vitória he scored 20 goals and created 11 more in 83 games, which brought him to the attention of compatriot Nuno, but he knows there is still room for improvement.
The A-lister
When Nottingham Forest need something to happen on the pitch, then Gibbs-White is often the man to provide it. A midfielder of sublime skill and intellect, he has the quality to produce moments of magic, even if his team are not in the ascendancy. Aided by vibrant wingers and the runs of Awoniyi, Forest possess a group that can open up defences. In addition to his ability on the ball, Gibbs-White is energetic and willing to do the hard work when his team needs it, running all day and dropping deep to keep the fight going.
What they did this summer
After losing his place as Forest keeper in January, Matt Turner had the chance to return home and play for the United States in the Copa América where he could forget about his club worries. Unfortunately, the home tournament was a disaster as the US failed to progress from the group after a shock defeat by Panama. “It’s going to take a long time for the dust to settle,” he said. “This is a shameful feeling that we will use for years to come as fuel for what is no longer acceptable as players. We need to hold each other and ourselves accountable and for all the good that we did, we didn’t get the results necessary in the end to achieve our ultimate goal.” He returns to Nottingham as third choice.
