SUMMER 2022
Morgan Gibbs-White. £25m from Wolves. Deal Rating: 8
The attacking midfielder was one of the few players specifically requested by former boss Steve Cooper and has been one of Forest’s key men since joining.
Taiwo Awoniyi. £18m from Union Berlin. Deal Rating: 7.5
Like Gibbs-White, the Nigeria forward has been a key man for Forest but injury has restricted him to only 27 starts since his arrival.
Neco Williams. £17m from Liverpool. Deal Rating: 6.5
Wales international is a promising full-back/wing-back though the feeling remains Forest overpaid for him – a familiar theme since promotion.
Emmanuel Dennis. £13m from Watford. Deal Rating: 2
The first of many poor signings by Forest, he was being offered to clubs only months after arriving and was loaned to Istanbul Basaksehir last summer.
Orel Mangala. £11m from Stuttgart. Deal Rating: 7
One of the better captures since promotion The Belgian is a solid midfielder who would ensure Forest got their money back if they sold him. He is being offered to Italian and Turkish clubs in this window.
Moussa Niakhate. £8.5m from Mainz. Deal Rating: 5.5
Solid enough centre back but did Forest need him, especially when he struggles to stay fit? Niakhate has made only 25 starts since joining.
Giulian Biancone. £8.5m from Troyes. Deal Rating: 4
Broke his leg after making only three first-team appearances and is now on loan at Olympiakos, also owned by Evangelos Marinakis.
Lewis O’Brien. £8m from Huddersfield. Deal Rating: 2
Midfielder never played regularly under Cooper and is now on loan at Middlesbrough after a similar spell with MLS club DC United.
Remo Freuler. £7m from Atalanta. Deal Rating: 5
The Swiss midfielder came with a strong reputation but lasted a single season before leaving for Bologna as Nicolas Dominguez moved the other way.
Omar Richards. £7m from Bayern Munich. Deal Rating: 1
Was the defender entirely fit when he joined Forest? He has not made a single appearance for his parent club and is on loan at Olympiakos.
Renan Lodi. £5m from Atletico Madrid (loan fee). Deal Rating: 7.5
After a shaky start the Brazilian played a vital role in Forest’s successful survival bid but the club did not choose to sign him permanently.
Ui-jo Hwang. £2.5m from Bordeaux. Deal Rating: 4
Another mystifying deal. Hwang never looked like making the grade at the City Ground and is now in the Championship with Norwich.
Willy Boly. £2m from Wolves. Deal Rating: 8
The centre back’s injury record made this deal look a risk but he has done well for Forest and should thrive under Nuno, who coached him at Wolves.
Harry Toffolo. £2m from Huddersfield. Deal Rating: 7
The left back joined along with O’Brien and has outshone his higher-profile team-mate, playing regularly under Cooper this season despite being punished for breaking betting rules.
Josh Bowler. £2m from Blackpool. Deal Rating: 2
Bizarre signing yet again. Bowler has never made a senior appearance for Forest and is now on loan at Cardiff after similar stints with Olympiakos and Blackpool.
Brandon Aguilera. £800k from LD Alajuelense. Deal Rating: 5
The Costa Rican youngster is an unknown quantity after just one senior appearance in 18 months. Another deal about which Cooper was largely in the dark.
Jesse Lingard. Free transfer. Deal Rating: 1
Possibly the worst deal in the history of the club. The former England midfielder was paid more than £100,000 a week and delivered next to nothing.
Cheikhou Kouyate. Free transfer. Deal Rating: 6.5
When fit, a solid citizen in midfield with the vital Premier League know-how that helped keep Forest in the top flight last season – but hardly a deal for the long term.
Wayne Hennessey. Free transfer. Deal Rating: 6
Experienced Wales goalkeeper was signed as back-up but is no longer capable of being a No1 at Premier League level.
Adnan Kanuric. Free transfer. Deal Rating: 5
Young keeper signed as a free agent and released a year later. In between times he was on loan at Oxford City and is now with Palermo
Serge Aurier. Free transfer. Deal Rating: 6.5
One of those players who looked a gamble but performed better than expected, though he struggles to stay fit for long enough.
Dean Henderson. Loan from Manchester United. Deal Rating: 7
Excellent in the first half of last season before injury stopped him in his tracks and he never played at Forest again. Now with Crystal Palace.
Loic Bade. Loan from Rennes. Deal Rating: 4
His season-long loan from the Ligue 1 club was cut short – only for Bade to head for Sevilla and end up with a Europa League winner’s medal.
JANUARY 2023
Chris Wood. £18.5m from Newcastle. Deal Rating: 5
So poor initially that there were even suggestions Marinakis was trying to renegotiate the deal after completing it. Hat-trick against Newcastle showed signs of life.
Danilo. £17m from Palmeiras. Deal Rating: 8
Brazilian midfielder made a stunning impact and though this season has been a slow burner he still looks a big talent.
Jonjo Shelvey. £5.5m from Newcastle. Deal Rating: 1
Rivals Lingard for calamity value. Given a two-and-a-half-year deal at £70,000 a week, Shelvey’s contract had been cancelled by September and he is now in Turkey with Caykur Rizespor.
Felipe. £2m from Atletico Madrid. Deal Rating: 6.5
Warrior-like displays helped Forest stay above water last season but knee and hamstring injuries severely limited his involvement this term.
Gustavo Scarpa. Free transfer. Deal Rating: 5
Though technically impressive, the Brazilian midfielder never looked suited to the English game and is now back in his homeland.
Andre Ayew. Free transfer. Deal Rating: 3
The Ghanaian had played for Cooper at Swansea but there was nothing in his Forest displays to justify his return to the Premier League.
Keylor Navas. Loan from Paris St Germain. Deal Rating: 7
Three-times Champions League winner arrived to cover Henderson’s injury and made some important saves in big games.
SUMMER 2023
Ibrahim Sangare. £30m from PSV Eindhoven. Deal Rating: 5
Club record signing has shown only glimpses of his ability and has a great deal to do to justify his price tag. Has the Eredivisie curse struck again?
Anthony Elanga. £15m from Manchester United. Deal Rating: 7
Pace means he can be very effective despite clear technical and tactical deficiencies, and he is proving a rare smart signing for Forest.
Andrew Omobamidele. £11m from Norwich. Deal Rating: 2
Why on Earth was he signed? Centre-back was never considered ready for the level by Cooper and he could leave on loan this month.
Murillo. £10m from Corinthians. Deal Rating: 9
Perhaps the best signing of the lot. Brazilian centre-back looks top class and will be playing in the Champions League before too long.
Nicolas Dominguez. £8.5m from Bologna. Deal Rating: 7
Lively Argentine midfielder should be a useful player for Forest and ought to thrive under Nuno after becoming frustrated under Cooper.
Matt Turner. £7m from Arsenal. Deal Rating: 4
When the ball is at his feet, every Forest fan looks terrified. Believing Turner was a No1 keeper at this level was recruitment at its worst.
Odysseas Vlachodimos. £4m from Benfica. Deal Rating: 4
He is competing with Turner for a starting place and currently losing that race. That probably tells you all you need to know.
Callum Hudson-Odoi. £2m from Chelsea. Deal Rating: 5
Once wanted by Bayern Munich, Hudson-Odoi has done little of note for some time now – but Forest can always be relied upon to do foolish transfer deals.
Nuno Tavares. £1m from Arsenal (loan fee). Deal Rating: 2
Sign him in a hurry in August, realise he’s not good enough by September, try to dispense with him in January. Textbook Nottingham Forest.
Ola Aina. Free transfer. Deal Rating: 6.5
Reasonable deal for a reasonable player. Aina will never threaten the Champions League but he’s the kind of squad player a club like Forest should have.
Andrey Santos. Loan from Chelsea. Deal Rating: 3
Promising Brazilian midfielder joins to huge social media fanfare – only for the coach to conclude he is not ready. It is almost as though they should have asked him first. Now back at Chelsea.
Gonzalo Montiel. Loan from Sevilla. Deal Rating: 5.5
World Cup winner was barely given a chance under Cooper but Nuno clearly sees him more favourably and the Argentine is responding well so far.
Divock Origi. Loan from AC Milan. Deal Rating: 2
What? Why? How? So many questions about this transfer. Origi isn’t the answer to any of those that matter. Another howler from Forest.
