Mid-Season Player Review
Just before Forest opened the season against Brentford, I set each player a target for what I wanted to see out of them this term - let's see how they're getting on!
A few players not mentioned had not joined the club before the opening match, so they are not included.
Matz Sels:
“One of Forest’s best players through pre-season, looks to have continued his form from last season, and a deserved nominee for the Yachine Trophy”.
Target: Be in the running for the Golden Glove again and be recognised as one of the best goalkeepers in the league.
Verdict: Fail. Sels has struggled for most of this season, eventually even losing his starting spot to John Victor initially due to injury but then it seems due to performance. He has looked more like himself since returning to the team, but question marks still remain over his reluctance to deal with crosses into the box.
Angus Gunn:
“I’m told by a Norwich fan that he’d done a decent job there, but that it was time for him to move on. I think he’s a decent back-up option, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see Forest recruit another senior keeper when Carlos Miguel leaves”.
Target: Impress in any potential domestic cup appearances.
Verdict: No Rating. As I expected, Forest did go back to the market for another goalkeeper, bringing in the aforementioned John Victor. Angus Gunn was left out of the Europa League squad, picked up a slight injury, has made no appearances, and after only a couple of months expressed his desire to leave and play football in the run up to Scotland’s World Cup appearance.
Ola Aina:
“A slight concern with injury during pre-season that restricted his minutes, but he did eventually come back into the side in the latter matches.”
Target: Continue his impressive form of last season, aim to stay fit (likely with some rotation should Forest bring in some full-back depth), and add more attacking returns.
Verdict: Fail. Unfortunately for Aina he picked up a serious muscle injury during the first international break, that led him to being removed from both the domestic and European squads. It seems his injury troubles in pre-season were never truly resolved, and although Aina would’ve been devastated to miss out on the AFCON tournament, hopefully his continued work on fitness at the training ground means he’ll remain available through the rest of the season.
Neco Williams:
“A bright spark in a dull pre-season, Williams was the only player to register an assist! Good to see involved throughout after an injury picked up with Wales at the end of the season.”
Target: Build on the best season in his career, and then try to add more threat in the final third.
Verdict: Pass. Williams is one of very few candidates for Forest’s player of the season. He’s been consistently good in a very disappointing side. He’s on track to match his 4 domestic goal contributions of last season too.
Nikola Milenkovic:
“Probably the best of the central defenders during pre-season, no real concerns on him going into the season opener against Brentford”.
Target: Continue to marshal the Forest defence, look to at least replicate his goal return.
Verdict: Fail. It’s been a disappointing start to the season for Milenkovic, a mainstay of a defence that has struggled to keep clean sheets for most of the season, and looked bad defending set pieces too. The Serbian scored 5 and assisted another 2 last season, but so far in this campaign has only 1 goal. He’s not been helped by Murillo’s injury, but the first half of the season is not one that Milenkovic will look back on with pride.
Murillo:
“A similar pre-season to last, which is very different to his normal performance levels. At least we should know this time though not to worry about that too much!”
Target: In a World Cup year, Murillo must continue to develop and probably add more goal returns to his game. He could still be more effective with his ball carrying, and will be hoping to score more regularly too.
Verdict: Fail. Murillo has struggled with injury at times and missed some key matches, he’s also had some pretty poor games which is not something we can say about him too often. Even when in the side, Forest’s defence has not looked anywhere near as solid as last season. Unfortunately he looks a long-shot to make it to the World Cup with Brazil.
Morato:
“Often played out of position this pre-season, mostly due to necessity with the lack of full-back depth. That perhaps contributed to an unimpressive pre-season showing.”
Target: Take advantage of potential opportunities through rotation in Europe & Cup matches - try to win the battle with Jair & Boly to be the man to come and close out matches like he did so well last season.
Verdict: Fail. Morato was probably one of only a handful of players to come out with any credit during Postecoglou’s reign, but since then he has looked incredibly shaky in almost all of his appearances. He’ll show the quality to do one fantastic piece of defending, but follow it up almost immediately with something just as poor. He has been the 3rd choice centre back, but that spot looks less secure after each appearance.
Jair Cunha:
“Like Morato, lots of game time out of position, but he did acquit himself pretty well. He looks a bright prospect who seems very composed at the back.”
Target: Try to jump ahead of Morato in the pecking order - make an impression in Cup/European appearances.
Verdict: No Rating. For me he should be the 3rd choice centre back now, but we can only base that on just over 200 minutes of football. I was surprised to see him out of the Europa League squad as it would’ve been a perfect opportunity for him to get some game time. Hopefully that can be resolved later this month as his career has really stagnated these past 6 months through no fault of his own.
Willy Boly:
“A steady pre-season for Boly who looks to have a great effect on Forest’s younger pros.”
Target: Likely 5th in the pecking order, he may find game time hard to come by again. His job is to be reliable in those sporadic appearances, and mentor the likes of Jair & Abbott”.
Verdict: Fail. Boly has only made two appearances, the last of which being a very short cameo off the bench in Forest’s draw against Betis. He gets a fail from me though due to his poor performance against Swansea in the League Cup. I thin it’s fairly likely he departs this January with a view to getting some minutes so he can remain in the Ivory Coast set up at the World Cup.
Zach Abbott:
“A more solid pre-season than last time out - he has also spent significant time at right back rather than this preferred centre back position.”
Target: Make his first Premier League appearance, and be more involved throughout the season. If necessary, try to adapt at least temporarily to the full-back role Nuno seems to have in mind for him.
Verdict: Pass. Abbott has made 4 appearances for the senior side this season, all of them coming on the right side of the pitch. He made his Premier League debut coming on at half-time against Everton, and has made 3 European appearances (including 2 starts). Without looking fantastic, he hasn’t really put a foot wrong either, which considering the season Forest have had is a decent outcome.
Ibrahim Sangare:
“Two nice pre-seasons in a row, the big thing for him now is to show he can sustain both those performance and fitness levels into the season”.
Target: Miss far less time through injury. Stamp his authority on games and use his passing ability to try and unlock defences from deep in transition.
Verdict: Pass. Sangare has been such a valuable part of Forest’s midfield, and it’s clear the side look much better with him in the starting lineup. Forest really missed him during his absence at AFCON, but looked much better immediately upon his return. He’s remained fit this season too which is a massive positive, and he looks to finally be showing why Forest paid so much for him.
Elliot Anderson:
“A decent pre-season having missed the first week due to having an extended break after a successful campaign with England U21s”.
Target: Add more goals and assists to his game, the missing piece that probably breaks him into England’s World Cup squad.
Verdict: Pass. Despite being on track for fewer goal involvements this season (just 1 goal and 2 assists so far), Anderson’s performance levels in every other area of his game have been so good that his season so far cannot be deemed a ‘fail’. He broke into the England squad early on, and looks to have already cemented the holding midfield role ahead of the World Cup.
Nicolas Dominguez:
“Has spent pre-season rehabilitating following knee surgery”.
Target: Try to get back to fitness so that he can help the side as they get toward the busy period from November onwards.
Verdict: Pass. Ended up returning to the squad in late September much earlier than most expected. His minutes significantly increased during November, and he has been a key part in almost all of Forest’s victories in that period. His versatility and work-rate is such an asset to the squad.
Ryan Yates:
“Some really nice performances in pre-season, tinged with the odd disappointing one too”.
Target: Continue to make improvements year-on-year. There’s room for him to get better on the ball. Yates will lead the team whether he’s on or off the pitch, and he should look to really thrive on Thursday nights.
Verdict: Fail. It’s been a tough season for Forest’s captain, who has just come back from a very rare injury lay-off. He struggled to adapt (as many did) to Postecoglou’s style, and the continued quality performances of Sangare have made game time very difficult for him. His leadership and quality will still be needed in this second half of the season, and anyone would be silly to back against him improving as the season goes on.
Morgan Gibbs-White:
A bit of a turbulent pre-season with a potential move to Spurs being shelved for an eventual new contract. Some good moments as he regained match fitness after an extended break.
Target: Improve goal and assist return. If he is to play deeper he needs to show much more responsibility both in and out of possession. Those improvements are what will get him on the plane for the World Cup in the summer.
Verdict: Fail. Although his goal return has increased, Gibbs-White has not been anywhere near the creative force that has driven Forest forward so often in recent seasons. He’s had some very bad moments playing deep that have cost the side too, and this all eventually led to him losing his spot in the England squad.
James McAtee:
“A new, permanent home for McAtee that should give him a great platform to flourish”.
Target: Force his way into the starting lineup with initial cameos from the bench, and starts when the Europa League gets up and running.
Verdict: Fail. Forest’s tumultuous season has not given the new signings a very good chance to succeed. McAtee is one who has probably suffered more than most. Noises out of the club suggested he was being recruited as an 8, but I struggled to see that coming into fruition and that has been the case. During limited appearances, McAtee has failed to impress. His playing style doesn’t suit the way Sean Dyche wants to play, but with Forest likely changing things up again in the summer, McAtee will have a chance to do it all over again next season.
Callum Hudson-Odoi:
“Another bright spark in pre-season, he looked fit and sharp although like many the end product was not there.”
Target: He needs to increase his goal and assist output. He’s going to be surrounded by lots of talented players this season and I feel it’s really time for him to step up his levels and be more consistent.
Verdict: Fail. Overall I’d say this season has been a disappointment for Hudson-Odoi, who endured a very dry spell after the 2nd game until December when he burst to life against Tottenham with 2 goals and an assist. Everybody knows the quality is there, and he’s looked much better in the last 6 weeks or so - the challenge continues to be showing that on a consistent basis for the remainder of the season.
Dan Ndoye:
“Has had some good moments in pre-season, and has shown his versatility by playing on either flank”.
Target: If he can match his return of 12 goal contributions that he got in Serie A last season (a career high), then I think that’s a very good return despite the large price tag.
Verdict: Fail. Ndoye looked fantastic in his first two appearances, with a well taken goal and a lovely assisted. He’s struggled pretty much ever since though, rarely troubling opposition full-backs. He remained in the side due to quality defensive work, but even that was lacking eventually. Forest should expect much more from him in 2026, and perhaps he’ll get a new lease of life being used in a more central role where his pace can be a real asset.
Omari Hutchinson:
“Another bright prospect signed on the eve of the season. A start at Championship level and we have to hope that his season in the Premier League with Ipswich has helped his development.”
Target: As a different kind of option on the right wing, Hutchinson will need to shed worries over his price tag and impress off the bench to begin with. His target has to be to try and force his way into the starting eleven by Christmas.
Verdict: Pass. A really tough start for Hutchinson but he has responded so well, literally forcing his way into the starting lineup with brilliant performances off the bench, just as I’d wanted from him. He does still show some immaturity off the ball, and his decision making could also be better, but his quality is there for all to see. His job is to continue building on this for the rest of the season.
Chris Wood:
“Forest’s only goalscorer in pre-season - he looks fit and mobile”.
Target: If Wood can hit the same goalscoring heights of last season then it’s a tremendous achievement. Realistically, getting 12 goals is still a good outcome.
Verdict: Fail. “He looks fit and mobile” might be the worst curse I’ve put on a player. Wood, even when fit, never looked anywhere near as good as he did last season apart from on the opening day. We still don’t know when he’ll be back fit after he eventually had a knee operation just before Christmas.
Igor Jesus:
“Worked hard in pre-season and linked up really well with his team mates, who are still adjusting to his well-timed runs in behind.”
Target: Will be Wood’s back-up, but may get some game time along side him. His target is to become an option Nuno trusts to bring on after an hour to change the attack - if he can hit double figures in all competitions then it’s been a successful campaign.
Verdict: Pass. His lack of Premier League goals is obviously a disappointment, but he’s scored well in all the other competitions (that he was essentially recruited for). His work rate is tremendous, but he is beginning to look tired earlier in games now and it’s incumbent on the Forest hierarchy to bring in some support for him whilst Wood is absent.
Taiwo Awoniyi:
“Great to see him back fit and on the pitch after his horrible luck late last season”.
Target: It seems likely that Taiwo’s future is away from the club - if that isn’t to happen then his target is to regain Nuno’s trust and be a viable option in cup competitions.
Verdict: Fail. I’m not sure there is much that would make me happier than seeing Taiwo Awoniyi score a winner for Forest just one more time - but unfortunately he just isn’t the player that kept Forest up late in his debut season.
Totals:
Passes: 7 (Neco Williams, Zach Abbott, Ibrahim Sangare, Elliot Anderson, Nicolas Dominguez, Omari Hutchinson, Igor Jesus)
No Rating: 2 (Angus Gunn, Jair Cunha)
Fails: 13 (Matz Sels, Ola Aina, Nikola Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Willy Boly, Ryan Yates, Morgan Gibbs-White, James McAtee, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Dan Ndoye, Chris Wood, Taiwo Awoniyi)
Good analysis as ever. Bit harsh on a couple of the fails! Maybe needed a middle category for some?