Nottingham Forest have had arguably their best season since the Brian Clough era as Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have become one of the best teams in the Premier League. But with European football on the horizon for Forest, whether that is the Champions, or Europa league, the two time European Cup winners will be playing on the biggest stage next year. But with a squad of ridiculously talented players, and great depth across the squad, how sustainable can Forest’s success be heading into next season?
With players like Morgan Gibbs-White, Anthony Elanga, and Callum Hudson-Odoi playing their best football under the new manager, and finally fulfilling the potential they once showed, despite securing European football, it will be a tricky task for Forest to keep some of these players on board.
Unlike the older players in the squad such as Chris Wood and Matz Sels who although have had superb seasons, will not be as sought after as some of the younger players, and will likely be some of the players who will stay at the City Ground next year. But with some of the league's biggest clubs knocking at the door for some of Forest’s best players, their success, and the team as a whole may not be as sustainable as they would have hoped.
Rumours believe that teams like Man City, Chelsea, and even Man United are going after Gibbs-White who is 100% the most sought after player in Forest’s squad, and with some of the worlds best teams like City calling, it would be a hard offer to turn down. But after a great year with Forest, these players could be convinced to stay, but may be vered away by the bright lights of the big six.
Some may say its naive to say Forest aren't establishing themselves as a big six team, but what sets them apart from the big six is their ability to bring, and most of all keep players like Gibbs-White at the club, and will often be the reason teams like Forest may not be able to sustain success. Although they would be able to bring in more players, or even better players for the money they got for their stars, its likely Nuno and the rest of the team would prefer to sustain, and build on what they have, but when the big boys come knocking, for teams like Forest, their chances of keeping their stars are little to none.
With a squad of rising talent and potential, Forest definitely have something to look forward to next year, but like we have seen with other teams in the past like Leicester, it may be hard for Nuno and the owners to keep their players, and their status and market size may be too small to sustain their success through their players. A harsh reality for many teams in the Premier League.
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