Nottingham Forest supporters reading the explosive words from their manager on Friday morning must have felt pretty confused.

On Thursday night, fans went to bed with excitement after learning that their club was ready to invest nearly £100 million in Arnaud Kalimuendo, Omari Hutchinson, and James McAtee, just before the Premier League season kicked off. However, their manager later appeared on TV expressing concerns about the team’s current state.

What to make of Nuno’s comments, then? 

It’s important to mention that Nuno’s interview was pre-recorded earlier in the week, possibly before Forest’s market activities began. Nevertheless, the Portuguese manager’s public remarks were quite bold.

Forest’s owner, Evangelos Marinakis, has already considerably supported Nuno’s plans by retaining star playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White, even when Tottenham seemed to have activated a £60 million release clause in his contract.

Nuno Espirito Santo (second right) has sounded the alarm over the readiness of Nottingham Forest’s squad, on the eve of the new season

Forest are closing in on the signing of Arnaud Kalimuendo, who scored 40 goals in 112 games across three seasons for Rennes

England’s Under 21 European champions James McAtee (centre) and Omari Hutchinson (furthest left) are also on their way to the City Ground

Kalimuendo, Hutchinson and McAtee all had interest from Premier League rivals and if they join as expected, plenty of rivals will envy Forest.

In his pre-match press conference, Nuno expressed disappointment that his squad wasn’t assembled for pre-season, making the upcoming weeks intriguing to watch. Excitement is always high at the City Ground.

Nuno’s priorities

Throughout his time at both Wolves and Forest, Nuno’s achievements have relied on forming a tight-knit group of players who bond so strongly they function almost like a family. According to Nuno, such unity can only develop from the beginning of pre-season.

While Nuno will undoubtedly welcome the new additions, he’s aware that replicating the strong camaraderie from last year, which helped Forest finish seventh in the Premier League—their best result in 30 years—might be challenging.

Daily Mail Sport understands that while Nuno was keen for a bigger squad to handle a domestic and Europa League campaign, he shies away from having 22 players on equal footing, with two competing fiercely for each spot.

Rather, he likes players to know their roles from the off: some are first-choice, some are back-up. Last season, players like midfielder Ryan Yates and defender Morato understood their status perfectly and made vital contributions.

That might not be so easy with players who are accustomed to starting regularly for their previous clubs, especially if they join for big fees. Though Forest may consider using two forwards at times this term, with last season’s 20-goal star Chris Wood and former Paris Saint-Germain striker Kalimuendo, if the deal is done, playing together.

If Hutchinson joins from Ipswich, Forest would still like one more wide player. Dilane Bakwa, the 22-year-old Strasbourg winger, is high on the list, though Nuno would like a reunion with Adama Traore, who improved so much at Wolves during his three years under Nuno.

Nuno is keen on a reunion with his former Wolves pupil Adama Traore

Centre back Morato knew his role precisely last season and made a big contribution

Forest’s counter-attacking style was highly effective for most of last season, yet the coaching staff realised towards the end of the campaign that teams had found better ways of nullifying it.

Don’t be surprised to see tweaks this term as Forest try to have more of the ball, especially at home.

Forest’s ambition

Was last season’s form, when Forest spent much of the campaign in the top four before eventually finishing seventh, merely an outlier? If it was, then nobody has told Marinakis. The Forest owner envisages an improvement this season which, logically, can mean only one thing: Champions League qualification.

That will not be easy, but then Marinakis is a demanding owner. He looks at the squad today, compares it with the roster from last season and sees a clear uplift in quality. It then falls to the players and coach to make it count.

Pre-season has not been ideal. Forest scored only one goal in seven matches – including five 0-0 draws – and, like all managers, Nuno would have liked deals done early for players he will not count upon this season.

Instead, players like Jota Silva, David Carmo and Omar Richards remain at the club. Jota will likely move to Sporting CP in Portugal once the new signings are in the building, though there is still disagreement over the terms of the arrangement, which is likely to be a loan deal in the first instance.

Even though £55m Anthony Elanga has been their only major sale this summer, Forest are bullish about their financial position, though they will now have to comply with UEFA’s financial rules as well as the Premier League’s.

Forest took substantial risks in 2022-23 to stay in the top flight and it just about paid off, even with their four-point deduction. They are pushing the boat out again but this time the prize is much bigger – a place at Europe’s top table.

Owner Evangelos Marinakis is a demanding man and will put pressure on the team to perform

Forest’s best finish for 30 years won’t be enough for Marinakis to be satisfied

Areas to strengthen and who could leave

Nuno is concerned that Forest lack cover in the full back positions and we can expect this to be rectified, along with perhaps another addition in midfield.

Forest and Juventus have discussed Douglas Luiz, the former Aston Villa player who has struggled in Italy, though Nuno must decide whether the Brazilian can fulfil his exact midfield requirements.

Mateus Fernandes of Southampton is another who is admired and it will be interesting to see how Ibrahim Sangare’s season unfolds, his third after joining for £30m two years ago.

As things stand, Forest think they can unlock more in Sangare, while selling him is unlikely to generate profit, even allowing for accounting practices.

Yet there is still more than a fortnight to go and it would be foolish to say Sangare is guaranteed to remain. He has made just 34 appearances in all competitions across two seasons.

While Nuno would like Traore, it would go against modern transfer trends to sign a player who will turn 30 in January – especially one who is unlikely to be in Nuno’s first-choice XI.

If everyone is fit, we can expect the starting wingers to be Dan Ndoye, the £34m capture from Bologna and Elanga’s effective replacement, and Callum Hudson-Odoi, who is edging closer to signing a new contract.

Certainly initially, the starting XI should be broadly the same as last season’s, with Ndoye for Elanga. Gibbs-White staying is a huge boost and the bench is undoubtedly stronger. Over to Nuno, then.

Southampton’s Mateus Fernandes (centre) is on Forest’s list to add to a midfield that is significantly strengthened by Morgan Gibbs-White (right) signing a new deal

Former Aston Villa man Douglas Luiz, now at Juventus, is also a Forest target

Importance of the Europa League

Crystal Palace fans will hate to hear it, but Europa League qualification has been a game-changer for Forest. Once secured, it instantly made them more attractive and players who might have turned up their noses at playing in the Conference League were suddenly keen to join them.

For Forest and Aston Villa, the Europa League is arguably the most important competition this season. The strength in depth of Premier League clubs cannot be matched on the continent, which is why we saw Tottenham and Manchester United contest last season’s Europa League final despite wretched domestic form. The prize money is better, too.

A one-season shot at qualifying for the Champions League cannot fail to appeal to ambitious targets, who were also impressed to see Forest hold on to Gibbs-White. 

Last spring, even the Forest squad were resigned to the England midfielder leaving but Marinakis made him the highest-paid player in the club’s history and promised a much better squad. At this stage, you have to say Marinakis has delivered. Now it is up to Gibbs-White and his team-mates to do the same.