Nottingham Forest transfer news from Nottinghamshire Live as the Garibaldi Red podcast looks at Forest’s Premier League ambitions
Fans of every club outside the top six of the Premier League would love for their team to be the next Brighton.
The Seagulls are in Europe for the first time, playing buccaneering football under Roberto De Zerbi and have mastered finding uncut diamonds in the transfer market. Nottingham Forest have ambitions to be viewed in the same bracket as they expand into the South American markets with the signings of Danilo and Murillo in the last year.
Speaking on the latest Garibaldi Red podcast, Sky Sports commentator Seb Hutchinson says Forest can try to model Brighton but they must have joined up thinking from top to bottom when it comes to recruitment.
“To ask if they can do what Brighton do, I would say that if you operate to develop gems and sell them on, is there a time where that runs out? Selling your best players is difficult,” he said.
“Brighton have done that very well. The way Forest are going is a good way to go. You’re getting good players in, but can a fan name an XI you can see every week. Do the players like Worrall and Yates have a place still? You want them to for their commitment and what they’ve done before.
“Do you give new signings a long run in the team? You can bring a World Cup winner in (Montiel) and they can not perform very well at all in certain games. Do you pick on reputation or stick with someone like Serge Aurier who has in a way rescued his reputation.
“It’s never a sure thing with football. The wish to be a Brighton – sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for as it can go horribly wrong.
“You need to have the right people who know how to do that. Do Forest have that system and structure? Is there a buy in from top to bottom to go down that route? When that happens you see clubs do really well.
“It goes from Man City and Arsenal to Brentford and Brighton. Do Forest have those people in key positions to make that work?”
Hutchinson has commentated on the last two Reds games and seen all bar one match this season and he feels they can aim to finish well above the relegation zone and aim to compete with the likes and Fulham and Crystal Palace in mid-table.
“To have that ambition is fair. Some of the teams like Fulham and particularly Palace, they’re a settled Premier League side. Palace are the sort of club where a lot of others don’t pay attention to their scorelines, but if you look, they’ve 1-0 or drawn 1-1 most weeks. They’re not a club you see lose six games in a row,” he said.
“They had that spell last season where they struggled and Vieira went and then had a run of kinder fixtures. Often when we see them on TV it’s against a big club at home and in those games they pick up results.
“Are Forest capable of that? It’s the next step and I can’t dismiss that. You look at the away games this season, they’ve had narrow defeats at Arsenal and Manchester United. There was even a bit of regret they didn’t get something at the Etihad.
“I’ve not forgotten Chelsea away! I think Forest are looking at teams like Brentford and thinking we can push beyond them. That’s the target now.”