Trio depart, Pereira uncertainty - Nottingham Forest's nightmare window

As Nottingham Forest prepare for the opening of an important transfer window, avoiding a repeat of last summer will be front of mind.

After surviving a relegation scare in 2025/26, the Reds have no desire to be in such a position again. They want to be challenging further up the table and pushing for a return to European football, having had a taste for competing on the continent with their run to the Europa League semi-finals.

For that to happen, the coming weeks will be crucial. Forest need to get things right.

Rewind 12 months and the summer of 2025 had much riding on it, too. There was an opportunity to build on a seventh-placed finish and kick on under then head coach Nuno Espirito Santo.

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Instead, Nuno was gone by early September and several of the newcomers struggled to hit the mark. A scrap to retain the club’s Premier League status during a chaotic campaign transpired.

It is never guaranteed a new signing will work out, of course, and curveballs can be thrown up at any time during an off-season. Having already set out what a dream summer would look like, the Nottingham Post dons our negativity hat and considers the worst-case scenario for the Reds ahead of the window opening on Monday (June 15)...

For some time there has been an acceptance Trentside about Elliot Anderson’s almost inevitable departure. Big bucks from Manchester City can be difficult to turn down - albeit there is no doubt Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis is clearly made of strong stuff when it comes to being at the bargaining table.

The Greek businessman knows Anderson’s value to the Reds and he is prepared to drive a hard bargain. Hence, he held his nerve when City put forward a package reportedly worth more than £120 million.

Even immediately on the back of that, though, it felt like being a case of when a deal gets done and for how much. But the nightmare for Forest would be if other key players follow the midfielder out the door.

Morgan Gibbs-White and Neco Williams also have their admirers. Both are under contract and there would be no pressure to sell, so hopefully losing those two as well as Anderson proves to be nothing more than a bad dream.

Just how do you go about replacing one of the Premier League’s best midfielders? The Reds will almost certainly need to find a way, even if it is quite a daunting prospect.

Anderson’s stats last season were outstanding; assuming he does go, there would be a significant void in need of filling. Making a massive profit on the 23-year-old would cushion the blow somewhat, but the onus then is on Forest to spend the money well.

Thirteen new faces put pen to paper last summer. Cuiabano immediately headed out on loan and of the others it was rather a mixed bag as the season went on.

It can take time for any player to settle in new surroundings and given the turmoil Trentside it was hardly surprising several of the summer signings found the going tough. The likes of Dilane Bakwa, James McAtee, Dan Ndoye and Omari Hutchinson came in for big money but didn’t exactly pull up many trees.

It would be foolish to write the quartet off just yet as they could still fulfil their potential in the Garibaldi. Nevertheless, with the possibility of a substantial pot of cash to spend, the Reds need to use it wisely.

It became clear quite quickly that all was not well with Nuno at the City Ground last summer. The arrival of Edu as global head of football was at the heart of his unrest and matters spiralled to the point some nuclear public comments left no way back for the Portuguese.

Twelve months on, Edu is himself expected to leave the club. The former Arsenal chief’s appointment has not worked out, and an argument could be made that it was an unnecessary one in the first place.

There is surely a lesson to be taken on board on that front, just as there are learnings to be had from last term’s managerial merry-go-round at Forest. Stability will be key for 2026/27.

With that in mind, the last thing the Reds need is any speculation or uncertainty about Pereira. Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Hilal have been linked with him so the sooner his new contract is sorted, the better.

The final whistle had not even blown on the season when Pereira delivered a clear message about how he wanted the summer to pan out. He outlined how only a few new additions would be needed and how getting business done early would be vital.

"If you start this league without players or if you delay decisions or if you don’t have your first XI in your mind because you didn’t have time to work… This is a league where if you start with those kind of conditions, and you don’t win the first one, the second one, the third one… We cannot do it,” he said.

Pereira wants as much time as possible to work with his squad before the serious action begins. A hectic fixture schedule made that difficult when he was thrown straight in at the deep end after taking charge in February.

He wants the opportunity to implement his ideas and strengthen a sense of unity within the dressing room. Leaving it until the last minute to get key deals over the line would be the worst-case scenario for the 57-year-old.