Nottingham Forest ‘couldn’t really win’ when it came to revamping their squad this summer, according to journalist Dean Jones.
Manager Steve Cooper oversaw an incredible amount of transfer business in the previous window but has been unable to translate that into positive results on the pitch at this moment in time.
What is the latest news involving Forest?
Forest defeated Huddersfield Town in the Championship play-off final back in May to secure a return to the Premier League following a 23-year absence.
However, the Midlands outfit immediately saw James Garner, Max Lowe, Philip Zinckernagel, Keinan Davis and Djed Spence return to their parent clubs following impressive loan spells.
First-choice goalkeeper Brice Samba then stated that he also wished to depart the City Ground, leaving Cooper seriously short of options throughout his first-team squad.
As a result, Forest brought in an incredible 22 players over the summer, including the likes of Jesse Lingard, Morgan Gibbs-White and Emmanuel Dennis.
Keeper Adnan Kanuric recently became Cooper’s 23rd addition after signing as a free agent after being released by FK Sarejevo at the start of July, adding cover and competition for Dean Henderson.
What has Jones said about Forest?
Jones believes that the Forest hierarchy were forced to bring in such a vast number of acquisitions due to so many players departing and the need to ‘show high ambition’.
In an interview with GiveMeSport, he said: “Forest couldn’t really win, they had to revamp the squad from last season, and 16 players left.
“They also wanted to show high ambition to be competitive in the league and sign players of a proven level. But merging 22 players of different backgrounds into a team is not going to happen overnight.”
How poor have Forest been?
Forest are currently sitting in 19th position in the top-flight standings after picking up just four points from their opening seven league games of the season.
Cooper’s charges have lost their last four consecutive Premier League games, and although defeats to Tottenham and Manchester City are understandable, disappointing results against Bournemouth and Fulham will be a concern.
Upcoming encounters against bottom-placed Leicester City, Aston Villa, Wolves and Brighton should give Forest an opportunity to their fortunes around, though.
Yet Cooper will need to address a defence that has leaked 14 goals in their last four games if he is to have any chance of dragging his side out of the relegation zone.