Five things that Nottingham Forest have done well this season include a £30 million acquisition and Cooper unleashing a 21-year-old.

Five things that Nottingham Forest have done well this season include a £30 million acquisition and Cooper unleashing a 21-year-old.

Nottingham Forest have made a decent start to the 2023/24 campaign, claiming nine points from eight matches. The Reds sit in 13th place in the Premier League table and have a steady platform now in place.

The Reds have been vastly improved on their travels. They have claimed four points on the road and the challenge is to continue on an upward trajectory when domestic action resumes.

With the second international break now upon us, Forest fans can take stock. Here, we’ve looked at five things that the Reds have got right so far this season.

Signing Ibrahim Sangare
The Ivorian has signed for the club for a fee in the region of £30 million. Naturally, he hasn’t quite hit the top of his trade just yet but he’s adapting nicely to the Premier League.

These kinds of signings can take time to bear fruit. Sangare is clearly a very talented footballer and defensively he has been at it from the word go at the City Ground.

There is more to come from Sangare. The club, however, deserve credit for getting a signing over the line who was at the top of the shortlist throughout the summer.

Stock the squad

Losing Brennan Johnson was a blow. However, his departure has now bizarrely seen the squad look somewhat stronger. His sale allowed Steve Cooper to dip into the market and the squad looks good.

 

Forest have at least two decent players for every position. They have options all over the park these days and the challenge for Cooper now is to get things moving in the right direction.

 

Forest’s transfer window was less scattergun and more methodical than last summer this time around. Now, the team will hope to kick on with Cooper boasting the best squad that has been seen on Trentside for years.

 

Stay in games and be braStay in games and be braver

Forest were abysmal on the road last season. They collected just eight points away from the City Ground and that almost cost them their Premier League status.

This season they have collected four points on the road and it’s the level of performance that has caught the eye. Despite losses to Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City, the Reds have competed.

 

It’s perhaps a bit disappointing that Forest haven’t got a couple more points to show for their efforts. Still, there is definitely a sign of progress and that is a good thing at this stage.

 

Swapping Remo Freuler for Nicolas Dominguez

This might be one of the steals of the century! Although Forest have paid a fee to Bologna to sign Dominguez, the fact that he’s ultimately swapped places with Freuler is remarkable.

 

Nothing against the Switzerland international but he just didn’t adapt to how Forest played. Cooper knew that and chose to let him leave the club this summer.

 

Dominguez is younger and looks like the sort of player that will leave everything out on the pitch. He looks like a serious talent and Forest have done exceptionally well to get him.

 

Unleashing Murillo

Cooper is a master when it comes to nurturing young players. As a result, it was no surprise to see the Reds move to sign Brazilian wonderkid Murillo in the summer.

It’s proved a very good decision by Cooper to give him some opportunities to play. He started against Brentford and after a solid 90 minutes, he kept his place for Saturday’s game against Crystal Palace.

Murillo looks like a quality addition to the ranks. Given his two outings so far it would seem as though he’s now the man for the others to oust from the team.