Nottingham Forest's dream transfer window amid Elliot Anderson interest

Avoiding a repeat of their 2025/26 Premier League struggles will be the aim for the Reds when the new term kicks off. They want to be back where they were little more than 12 months ago, challenging for European football rather than scrapping at the bottom end of the table.

Vitor Pereira worked wonders in the final weeks of the season after being appointed in February. There are solid foundations in place for Forest to build on, but they need to get things right in the transfer market.

Rarely do windows go completely according to plan, of course. More often than not, they can throw up a fair few curveballs.

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Even so, oversee some key pieces of business and the Reds will be hopeful of kicking on under Pereira. The Nottingham Post takes a look at what a dream window would look like at the City Ground this summer…

If we’re talking absolute best-case scenario, it involves Forest keeping hold of all their star men. Elliot Anderson and Morgan Gibbs-White included.

Everyone knows just how important and how good they are. The problem is any number of clubs in the Premier League and abroad know that, too, and that is why they are wanted men.

The Reds hold all the cards where both are concerned. The duo are under contract and there doesn’t appear to be any financial pressure to sell.

If someone like Manchester City are prepared to stump up a big wad of cash for Anderson, however, that could be difficult to turn down. So what is the dream scenario with a dollop of realism on the side?

Not losing both of them, for starters. One could be manageable but both would be another matter entirely.

And then it is all about transfer value and timing. In the case of Anderson, there is something of a balancing act involved. A good World Cup would push up his fee but leaving any deal late would compromise the time available to source a replacement - a daunting enough prospect as it is.

Anderson and Gibbs-White are the headline-makers but Forest have a number of other players who are not without admirers. The sooner the club can fend off any unwanted advances by getting key contributors tied to new deals, the better.

Murillo set the ball rolling by agreeing fresh terms before the season had even finished. With a bit of luck, that will keep the Brazilian’s suitors at bay.

Neco Williams will hopefully be next up. The Reds’ Player of the Season is being eyed by the likes of Aston Villa, Newcastle United, Manchester United and Everton but is a crucial member of Pereira’s back line.

There has been talk of midfielders Nicolas Dominguez and Ibrahim Sangare also being in line for improved contracts. Getting the duo and Williams to commit their futures to the club would send out a strong message.

And then there is the small matter of Pereira himself. The Portuguese has said reaching an agreement with Forest over a new deal would not be difficult; getting it done and dusted would ensure stability for the months ahead.

Pereira knows all too well how a good or bad summer can make or break a club’s start to a season. He found that out with Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Having been appointed in February, it was a case of straight in at the deep end Trentside. He had little time to really implement his ideas because games were coming thick and fast.

Pre-season should be the antidote to that. Pereira will have an extended period of time on the training ground and he will be able to further strengthen the bonds within the dressing room which he believes are so important.

With that in mind, the 57-year-old is keen for the club to get the bulk of transfer business done early. Getting signings through the doors quickly will give Pereira maximum opportunity to work with them and allow the newcomers to integrate before the serious action begins.

“Let’s prepare ourselves to be ready from the beginning,” Pereira has said. “If not, you start losing before you start the season.”

Ideally, the Reds do not want any last-minute panic buying. It sure would be nice to have a quiet deadline day!

As soon as the topic of summer transfers came up when speaking to the media in the final weeks of the season, Pereira was very clear about what he wanted. More than once he stated a desire for business to be done early in the window, and he also emphasised his preference for only a handful of changes.

The Reds boss believes he already has the basis of a good squad in place. He wants to add to that with a few new additions, but not loads.

“What is in my mind is we don’t need to change a lot of players, we just need to balance the squad,” Pereira has said. “We don’t need a big squad, because if you are not in European competitions you don’t need a big squad. But we need to have at least two players at a level in each position - this is something we must work on.”

Any important players who leave must be replaced, the Portuguese has said. He wants to end the window with a balanced dressing room capable of pushing up the Premier League table.

The goalkeeper situation will need to be addressed, with Stefan Ortega and Angus Gunn in line to move on as free agents to leave Matz Sels and John Victor as the only senior stoppers on the books. Forest could do with sourcing a striker and ensuring they have sufficient competition at full-back, while midfield will likely need to be looked at depending on what happens with Anderson.