The preparations ahead of the season for Nottingham Forest have not met the expectations of the manager, Nuno Espirito Santo feels.
The team based in the East Midlands is getting ready for a season where they will be involved in several competitions, including the UEFA Europa League.
Forest achieved a seventh-place finish in the Premier League standings last year, but they have been given a spot in the secondary European club tournament because of a conflict of interest in ownership affecting Crystal Palace, who won the FA Cup.
Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo at odds with club direction
Speaking before his team’s opening game against Brentford on Sunday at their home ground, Nuno has expressed concerns about the club’s preparations for the upcoming season, despite Forest managing to keep hold of their key player, Morgan Gibbs-White.
“We are not even close to where we need to be,” Nuno stated during his pre-match press briefing. “We are significantly behind in terms of getting ready, in terms of what we have planned, in terms of the team. So, we have major concerns.”
“The plans that we had, [we] didn’t get through. The preparation in terms of the squad was not ideal. We have players working here that know they’re going to leave on loan. We have a major problem.”
Evangelos Marinakis, the outspoken owner of Forest, was successful in convincing Gibbs-White to remain at the City Ground, even though Tottenham Hotspur were confident that he would be joining them after meeting his release clause.
Nuno’s team has brought in the Brazilian duo Igor Jesus and Jair Cunha from Botafogo in the current transfer window. They have also secured the signature of Dan Ndoye from Bologna for approximately £35 million.
The former manager of Wolves believes that more needs to be accomplished during the remaining two weeks of the transfer window to make sure Forest are fully prepared for the upcoming season.
This weekend, Nuno’s Reds will play Brentford at home. Brentford have also experienced a disrupted pre-season due to the departure of their head coach, Thomas Frank, as well as several important players.
Yoane Wissa, who is seeking a move away from the club, will also not be available for the Bees in Keith Andrews’ first competitive match as manager.
