Nottingham Forest Season Review - Goalkeepers
A look at how Forest's goalkeepers performed during the season
This article is the start of a series of posts that will review the performance of Forest’s players throughout the season. If you like what you read, and what to read more in the coming days and weeks, please consider a paid subscription for full access to future and past posts. Thanks!
Matz Sels
After the best season of his career last time out, ending with a Golden Glove, Matz Sels was one of many players who struggled to maintain the high level we saw during Forest’s European push.
It seemed like Sean Dyche wasn’t a huge fan of Sels, as he essentially dropped him for a goalkeeper who didn’t inspire confidence in John Victor, and later asked the club to recruit another keeper in Stefan Ortega.
Sels’ unwillingness to come off his line probably didn’t appeal to Dyche, but to be fair to Sels, he responded really well in the second half of the season. Once he returned from a second short spell out injured, head coach Vitor Pereira kept Sels in for the Premier League games, whilst choosing Ortega to the Europa League games.
Whilst Ortega is clearly better on the ball, under Pereira both keepers performed pretty well, with neither really deserving to be dropped. Sels came through with some key saves at important moments, as Forest eventually secured Premier League safety.
2026/27 Plans:
Sels remains under contract, and with Ortega looking likely to leave the club as his deal expires, it’s fair to assume Sels will go into next season as the first choice keeper. I do expect Forest to look for a new, younger goalkeeper though, one who could potentially be the answer to the position in the longer-term.
John Victor
One of 4 players to join over the summer from Botafogo, John Victor arrived in Nottingham on the back of a relatively successful Club World Cup. Things started poorly for him though, has he conceded 3 from the 4 shots on target, with Forest giving up a 2-0 lead in the final 10 minutes to lose in Ange Postecoglou’s second game in charge.
He had to wait a couple of months before his next appearance, starting in a rotated side away in Austria against Sturm Graz. He finished with a clean sheet, but was fortunate to see a goal disallowed for offside. In his following appearances he failed to inspire confidence.
In his 5th Premier League start, away at Aston Villa, he would make the big mistake that it felt like we all saw coming. He came rushing far out of his goal to try and intercept a pass that he was never, ever going to get to. John McGinn was able to finish in the empty net.
To make things worse for him, he picked up a serious knee injury that saw him miss virtually the entire season, and also ruled him out of a potential trip to the World Cup with Brazil as their 3rd choice keeper.
2026/27 Plans:
There’s likely going to be a space in the squad for a 2nd choice keeper next season, but I’d be pretty surprised if Forest are comfortable with John Victor being the next man up should Matz Sels pick up an injury again. For that reason, I’d expect John Victor to depart over the summer.
Stefan Ortega
With Sean Dyche not really fancying Matz Sels (or Angus Gunn), and John Victor out with a serious knee injury, Forest turned to Stefan Ortega late in the winter transfer window. Sels had just picked up an injury in the previous game, so Ortega had an immediate route to first team football.
Forest essentially picked up his existing contract for the remainder of the season. Outside of a horrendous team & coaching performance in his debut at Leeds, Ortega acquitted himself really well. His talents with the ball, especially under Vitor Pereira, made Forest a much more dangerous side in the build-up phase.
Unfortunately for Ortega, he would pick up a slight injury of his own and have to hand the gloves back over to Matz Sels. Once he returned to fitness, Pereira gave him the Europa League games, and he played a huge part in Forest’s run to the semi-finals.
A vastly changed Forest side could have been dead and buried in Porto, if not for a very lucky own goal and a fantastic performance from Ortega. For me, he probably deserved the number one shirt in the league too, but to be fair to Sels, he was also in fine form as Pereira steered the team clear of relegation.
2026/27 Plans:
Ortega is out of contract this summer, and for me there’s no doubt that he should be a starting keeper at a club in one of the big leagues. If it were down to me, I’d be doing everything I could to tie him down and tell him that he’s the first choice next season. I don’t think that’s the way the club will go though - Forest will likely try to retain him, but I expect Ortega to depart in search of a No.1 shirt elsewhere.