“Nobody expected a game like this,” said Nuno Espirito Santo, manager of Nottingham Forest, in an interview with BBC Match of the Day. We couldn’t compete with Bournemouth.
“Being aware of the numerous things we did incorrectly. Blocking and compactness are often our strong points. Things get more difficult when we give our opponents room.
“We tried to make corrections and put things right in the dressing room during the second half, but we were unsuccessful.
That second half was awful. After the crushing loss, he gave his squad advice on how to get back up: “Working, fixing mistakes, and realizing what we did well.”
That’s how it must remain. If we don’t, we become really brittle and let these things happen.”
Despite Wolves not looking to sell Cunha in January, Marinakis is not willing to move on from the Brazilian who would provide the polar-opposite attributes to Chris Wood whilst almost matching the Kiwi’s goal tally this season.
Whilst the bid would represent a formal approach for the Brazilian star, reports are suggesting that Forest have already made contact with Cunha in a show of urgency.
Nottingham Forest prepare ‘historic offer’ after contact with Matheus Cunha
Rumours and links can be misleading but a fresh update from journalist Eduardo Burgos has truly solidified Marinakis’ intentions regarding Cunha.
Burgos has stated that Forest have “begun informal contacts” in regards to signing Cunha, with a “historic offer” estimated to be imminent from the City Ground.
Burgos reiterated the information that Wolves are not considering selling Cunha but if Forest can continue these informal contacts, the Molineux side may be forced into a decision.
Clearly, then, Forest aren’t going to give up on Cunha as we enter the final stages of the transfer window, which looks to be a particular problem for Wolves if Burgos’ further information on the situation is to be believed.
Wolves face problem with Matheus Cunha contract talks
It’s understandable to expect that the Brazilian will be confused as to where his future lies currently, with Cunha preferring a move to Arsenal but Forest pushing the agenda much more aggressively than the North London side.
What seems least likely at this stage is that he is happy at Wolves, with Burgos continuing to add: “They [Wolves] trust that he will renew [his contract], but the issue of the clause continues to be the problem.”
Burgos clarified in a later tweet that Wolves had promised a release clause to Cunha in his proposed new deal, highlighting that whether it’s in January or the summer, the Brazilian is looking to leave.
This leaves the saga at somewhat of a crossroads. Espirito Santo will want attacking reinforcements quickly so Forest will continue to pursue Cunha, so the decision lies with Wolves as to whether to cash in now or agree to a potentially less-favourable release clause for a summer sale.
Nottingham Forest will make a late call on the fitness of winger Callum Hudson-Odoi ahead of their trip to Bournemouth.
The 24-year-old was forced off towards the end of the first half of last Sunday’s 3-2 victory over Southampton. He was replaced by Jota Silva just a few minutes after he had put his team 2-0 up with his third goal of the season.
Head coach Nuno Espirito Santo will assess Hudson-Odoi before his team head south for Saturday’s clash (3pm kick-off). It is a game the Reds go into looking to make it 10 games unbeaten in all competitions.
“He felt his groin very tight. He was in a lot of pain,” Nuno said of Hudson-Odoi.
“He has been out for a couple of days. We have to assess and see whether he is available or not.”
Forest survived a comeback from the Saints last time out to claim all three points at the City Ground. They are third in the table, level on points with second-placed Arsenal and only six adrift of leaders Liverpool.
But Nuno has warned they will face tough opposition in the seventh-placed Cherries, who are pushing for European football themselves.
“It is going to be very tough. They are a very good team. We have faced them before many times and they are always very difficult,” Nuno said.
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness has insisted Nottingham Forest will look to sign a long-term replacement for Chris Wood this month.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, the 67-year-old – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – suggested Forest could renew the 33-year-old’s deal as well as move for a new striker before the 3 February deadline.
Wood’s current deal at the City Ground is set to expire at the end of the 2024-25 campaign and Forest are keen to extend his stay at the club.
He has hit 14 goals and notched two assists in 23 games this term as Nuno Espirito Santo’s side sit third in the Premier League table.
It has been widely reported in recent days that Forest have launched a bid for Brentford star Yoane Wissa and are also ready to move for Wolves talisman Matheus Cunha.
Nottingham Forest in the market for long-term Wood replacement, says Wyness
Wyness insisted the Midlands giants must “bolster the bench, at the very least” as they look to make dreams of Champions League football a reality.
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He told Football Insider‘s Insider Track podcast: “Chris Wood, although he’s having a great season, is getting on now.
“They’ve got to look to the long-term, even if they re-sign him.
“This may just be an unusually good season for Wood, so they’ve got to look at a potential replacement.
“They’ve got to bolster the bench, at the very least. It’s definitely an area they are looking to shore up.
“Wood has over-performed, he’s looking for a new contract – and you’ve got to look at what he will give you in the next three years.
“You’d expect there to be a reduced contract offer going forward.”
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Wolves boss Vitor Pereira has made his stance on Matheus Cunha’s future crystal clear during the January transfer window.
Nottingham Forest are said to be eyeing up a swoop for the Brazilian this month as they look to bolster their attack in their push for European football. According to the Daily Mail, the 25-year-old is “at the top” of Forest’s shopping list with less than a fortnight of the transfer window remaining. The club are said to have “serious interest” in Cunha and are “ready to make a play” for the forward.
But, speaking before the transfer window opened, Pereira addressed the player’s future. “I hope he stays with us for a long time, but I understand that as a special player – he will have opportunities for sure in his career,” he said after Cunha had inspired Wolves to a 2-0 triumph over Manchester United at Molineux on Boxing Day.
“No, of course I do not want him to be sold in January,” Pereira added.
Would Cunha be a good signing for the Reds? Tell us HERE
Nottingham Forest: Special reports
To celebrate the success of Nottingham Forest this season, we are writing a series of features celebrating events at the City Ground.
From the finances to the former managers. Looking at how the City is benefitting from what Nuno’s team are doing on the pitch.
We take a deep dive into Evangelos Marinakis and his aspirations for the club – can the Reds match them?
Nottingham Forest claimed another win to make it four points from the week by beating Southampton 3-2 at the City Ground on a bitterly cold Sunday afternoon.
Forest got off to a flyer. Elliot Anderson got the Reds on the front foot rasping a long-range effort into the bottom corner to leave Aaron Ramsdale clutching at thin air – and not for the first time!
Shortly after, Forest strengthened their advantage. Callum Hudson-Odoi broke away from deep and with options to his right and left, decided instead to rifle an unstoppable right-footed shot beyond Ramsdale for 2-0.
Hudson-Odoi did have to limp off but his absence wasn’t immediately felt. On 31 minutes, Forest had a third, Jota Silva fed the ball to Ola Aina and his cross was merely headed towards the bottom corner by Wood and Ramsdale made a feeble effort to save it.
That should been game over but the Saints rallied after the break. First, Jan Bednarek deflected a shot over Matz Sels and into the back of the net and shortly after 12 minutes of stoppage time had been announced Paul Onuachu headed home to start the nerves jangling.
Elliot Anderson scores first Premier League goal for Forest vs Southampton
The 22-year-old has come close to scoring in the Premier League before. He’s had a few chances this season, whilst during the 2022/23 campaign he had a goal chalked off for Forest at the City Ground whilst playing for Newcastle.
Anderson’s goal here was a joy to behold. It was very much a speculative effort but ultimately it found the bottom corner and hopefully, the goal can become the first of many.
After the game, the player wrote on Instagram. He was clearly delighted to score his first Forest goal and get off the mark as a Premier League player, posting: “First Premier League goal and another massive win.”
Anthony Gordon and Forest stars send messages to Elliot Anderson
The Newcastle winger was the first to post on Anderson’s message to send him his congratulations over a first Premier League goal. He said: “It’s about time”, whilst also posting a laughing emoji and a round of applause.
Morgan Gibbs-White was next. There is a genuine possibility that Anderson and Gibbs-White might play together for England at some stage in their career and he posted: “First of many for sure.”
Finally, Callum Hudson-Odoi also posted on Anderson’s heartfelt upload to Instagram. He said “What a player”, whilst also posting a couple of fire emojis to indicate his star performance.
Anderson has finally held down a place in the Forest team after his £35 million move from Newcastle. The central midfield spot looks to be his own now and if he can add more goals to his game the Reds will be absolutely delighted.
Nottingham Forest have been left sweating on the fitness of Callum Hudson-Odoi after the winger was forced off with an injury during the win over Southampton.
The 24-year-old made way just a few minutes after he had given the Reds a 2-0 lead at the City Ground with a superb strike. Having received treatment on the pitch, Hudson-Odoi then gingerly made his way off and looked a little uncomfortable as he was replaced by Jota Silva with 38 minutes gone.
The Reds wide man appeared to gesture to his groin as he chatted to head coach Nuno Espirito Santo before making his way down the tunnel. Providing an update after the game with a post on social media, Hudson-Odoi said he hopes the problem is not a serious one.
He wrote: “+3!! Happy for the win and hopefully nothing serious. See you soon.”
Nuno said Hudson-Odoi had felt a stiffness when sprinting in the first half. Forest will carry out an assessment, with their next game coming on Saturday when they travel to face Bournemouth.
“We have to assess him. I hope it is nothing, but he is stiff. He felt it in a sprint. He was still able to shoot on goal, so that was good. I hope it is nothing,” Nuno told BBC Radio Nottingham.
The Reds survived a fightback from the Saints to triumph 3-2 on the banks of the Trent and make it eight Premier League games unbeaten. Victory moved them level on points with second-placed Arsenal, although the Gunners have a superior goal difference.
Goals from Elliot Anderson, Hudson-Odoi and Chris Wood in the first half had put Forest firmly in control. However, a fortuitous Jan Bednarek goal and a disallowed header from Nikola Milenkovic paved the way for a nerve-wracking finale when Paul Onuachu made it 3-2 in the first of 12 minutes of added time.
West Ham are reported to have opened talks with Nottingham Forest over a January deal for striker Taiwo Awoniyi.
No fee has been mentioned, but Sky are reporting that the Hammers are making a “serious attempt” to sign Awoniyi, the Nigeria international whose goals did so much to help keep Forest in the top-flight in their first two seasons after winning promotion.
The 27-year-old has had an injury-hit campaign for the Reds, but did score his first goal of the season in their 3-0 top-flight victory over Wolves last week. He also made a brief appearance from the bench on Tuesday night against former club Liverpool.
Sky reporter Florian Plettenberg took to X this morning to report: “West Ham are now making a serious attempt to sign Taiwo Awoniyi with immediate effect. Talks have started. The 27-year-old striker is currently under contract with Forest until 2027.”
Forest have made clear they will only contemplate selling Awoniyi if a replacement is brought in first, and they are understood to retain an interest in Santiago Giménez, Feyenoord’s Mexican striker who snubbed them in the summer.
Reacting to the news, Sky Sports’ Midlands reporter Danyal Khan said: “To be honest, it would make a lot of sense. We were talking about West Ham desperately needing a striker because of injuries to Niclas Füllkrug, and because Michail Antonio is out long-term.
“Talking of Awoniyi again, I saw Forest on Saturday against Luton (in the FA Cup ). He started that game, but looked like he needed more minutes to get up to speed. His touch was a bit off.
“Awoniyi was such an important player for this Forest side in the first two seasons after they were promoted from the Championship – essentially his goals helped keep them up. He scored some very important goals for them. But he had a really serious injury last season, and he hasn’t been quite able to play consistently since then and really get up to match sharpness, and also because of the form of Chris Wood.
The Premier League has not charged any clubs, including Forest, for breaches of its profit and sustainability rules Get the latest Nottinghamshire Live breaking news on WhatsApp
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The Premier League has not charged any clubs, including Nottingham Forest, for breaches of its profit and sustainability rules after all were deemed financially compliant for the 2023-24 season.
Forest were deducted four points last season for breaching financial rules and Everton were also sanctioned during the last campaign. But none of the top-flight’s 20 teams will face any new charges this season.
Forest’s East Midlands rivals Leicester City and the Premier League are, however, involved in “confidential arbitration proceedings”. The league said in a statement: “Issues as to the jurisdiction of the Premier League over Leicester City Football Club in relation to PSR compliance are currently the subject of confidential arbitration proceedings.
“Accordingly, neither the league nor the club will make any further comment at this stage about any aspect of the club’s compliance or otherwise with any of the PSR or related rules, save to say that no complaint has been brought against Leicester by the league for any breach of the PSRs for the period ending Season 2023-24.”
Nottingham Forest are in no rush to sell striker Taiwo Awoniyi to West Ham this month despite apparent interest from the Hammers, TBR Football can exclusively reveal.
Awoniyi has struggled for goals this season despite Forest excelling in the league and putting themselves firmly in the Champions League picture.
Despite his lack of form, the Nigerian international has attracted admiring glances from West Ham, who are keen to add a new forward for new boss, Graham Potter.
However, while West Ham clearly like Awoniyi, TBR Football understands things are long way from being done just yet.
Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
What Nottingham Forest want to sell Taiwo Awoniyi amid West Ham interest
TBR Football’s chief correspondent Graeme Bailey can reveal that Forest are not looking to sell or weaken themselves this month and it would take a good bid for them to even consider a sale.
Forest paid 1£7m for Awoniyi and any bid for the striker would need to be around the £20m mark or more for the Reds to contemplate any sort of deal.
TBR Football understands that no West Ham approach has been made as yet, but he is on their long list of strikers.
Further, we understand West Ham are in talks to sign another international striker on-loan.
When Taiwo Awoniyi was considered a better finisher than Marcus Rashford
While Awoniyi has hardly shone this season in a Forest shirt, the speedy forward is still a big threat with his pace and size.
“I think when you talk about players in the box, Awoniyi is more of a natural than Marcus Rashford… he is a goal scorer. He smells it,” Lineker said at the time.
Whether or not West Ham push further for this one remains to be seen but clearly, the Hammers are keen on strengthening the forward ranks.
