Nuno Espirito Santo Critiques Nottingham Forest's Recruitment Strategy
Nottingham Forest's head coach Nuno Espirito Santo has expressed concerns regarding the club's recruitment process, highlighting a lack of speed in their transfer dealings.
The Portuguese manager believes the current squad is not adequately prepared for the upcoming European campaign. In the next 48 hours, Forest is expected to spend nearly £100 million on several key players, including Manchester City midfielder James McAtee, Ipswich winger Omari Hutchinson, and Rennes forward Arnaud Kalimuendo, alongside interest in Juventus midfielder Douglas Luiz.
Ahead of the Premier League opener against Brentford at the City Ground, Nuno voiced his apprehensions about the insufficient number of signings.
"Dealing with doubts is the worst thing you can have in football," he remarked, having led Forest to a seventh-place finish last season.
"We have doubts about who will be here and when the new signings will arrive. All these uncertainties create concerns not only for me but for the club as well. What we need is to have as many options as possible for each game. Europe will come later, and it will certainly be better, but for now, it remains a significant concern.
"The owner is aware, the club is aware, everyone knows the reality. This is a lost opportunity for us as a group to improve."
Forest has already secured the signings of striker Igor Jesus and defender Jair Cunha from Botafogo, Bologna winger Dan Ndoye, and goalkeeper Angus Gunn. However, Nuno is still seeking to add at least one more goalkeeper, a full-back, a winger, and a striker to the squad.
While the club sold Anthony Elanga to Newcastle for an initial £55 million, Morgan Gibbs-White has signed a new contract despite interest from Tottenham, leaving Forest contemplating legal action.
This season, Forest will compete in the Europa League, marking their return to European football for the first time in 30 years. However, Nuno believes that even the players are feeling the pressure.
"The players are very astute; they understand how we operated last season and the dynamics we established," he stated. "This season is different, leading to doubts and questions. As human beings, we can address problems, but we cannot resolve uncertainties.
"There are players here who know they will be going out on loan. Our pre-season was very poor; we didn't win a single game and scored just one goal.
"Do you think I will be content and comfortable under these circumstances? The players are not superhuman; we will need to rotate them. This is a significant issue given the intensity and demands of the games."