Manchester City are plotting a £75m bid for Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson next summer but are likely to face stiff competition from Chelsea for the 22-year-old England international. (Express), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column
Manchester City are plotting a £75m bid for Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson next summer but are likely to face stiff competition from Chelsea for the 22-year-old England international. (Express), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column
Image source, Getty ImagesWe asked for your views on why Nottingham Forest's Europa League tickets are not all being bought immediately, after the Reds' first two home fixtures in this year's competition failed to sell out at season ticket and membership level.
Is the lack of appetite due to a disappointing start to life under head coach Ange Postecoglou or something else?
Here are some of your replies:
Peter: It is a winning combination of supporters almost universally disliking Ange, coupled with high ticket prices. Even season ticket-holders are forking out £50 or more per match. It will sell out, but the club should remember we are the lifeblood of it, not a commodity with a bottomless pit of money.
Martin: It's down to cost and poor form. Asking people to pay upwards of £60 per ticket is excessive, especially when I paid £17 for my ticket to the Betis game. The 'Ange-factor' is massive because fans have no expectation we will win or stand a chance. A colossal cock-up by the club. This season was about building on the last, not destroying it.
Simon: The silver lining for me is that I've been able to get tickets for the first time in ages.
Caroline: I will be there. It is the only chance that I will get to go to a Forest game. It's the first game I'll have been to since Covid, so it is worth the expense if we win.
Martyn: The shambles start to the season on and off the pitch has really taken the gloss of what should have been a once-in-a-generation campaign. Plus £60 per ticket, on top of season ticket prices, also makes one think twice. I went to the Midtjylland game and, aside from the pre-show, it was an unmitigated disaster and the fan reaction was embarrassing. I don't want to rush back, that's for sure.
Tony: I travel a 200-mile round trip to watch Forest. With train fares, a bite to eat or an overnight stay for Europe or weekday night games, it was worth it when we had a manager to give us dreams. Now that we have a manager who believes in the 'headless chicken' style of play, the cost vs entertainment value does not stack up. So I will pick and choose which games may be worth travelling for, and I suspect that won't be many unless things change. I'm sure I'm not alone.
Image source, Getty ImagesTickets for Nottingham Forest's Europa League home fixture against Porto, which was previously touted as their biggest game in the league stage of the competition, have gone to general sale.
After securing a European spot for the first time in 30 years, it was probably reasonable to expect tickets for the club's Europa League fixtures to be at a premium.
However, their first home match against FC Midtjylland also failed to sell out at season ticket and membership level.
The club promised supporters "unforgettable nights under the lights at the City Ground", external, but a disappointing start to life under head coach Ange Postecoglou appears to have cast a shadow on their highly-anticipated European tour.
The Reds are still waiting for their first win under the Australian, having already played two Europa League matches, four Premier League fixtures and one Carabao Cup tie under his leadership.
Has recent form taken the shine off Nottingham Forest's European achievement?
Is there fatigue in the fanbase and if so, what needs to happen to get supporters on side again?
Phil McNulty
Chief football writer
Image source, Getty ImagesMorgan Gibbs-White is a real talent and the Nottingham Forest player has won four caps under Thomas Tuchel, who is clearly an admirer of his quality.
The problem for Gibbs-White may come with competition for places in the areas he likes, especially with Jude Bellingham, Cole Palmer and Phil Foden not currently in England's squad and Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers producing excellence.
This is no slight on Gibbs-White, who has been outstanding at Forest. Tottenham Hotspur were left desperately disappointed in the summer when Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis persuaded him to stay by offering an improved contract.
It is simply that, when the final numbers take shape, Gibbs-White could be in an area where there are just too many names to fit into a limited pot.
Gibbs-White has the ability to be in that shake-up, although he may hope for some stability at the City Ground to make that happen.
Former Tottenham chief football officer Scott Munn's decision to take up a position at Italian club Parma rather than Nottingham Forest is a further indication boss Ange Postecoglou's future is uncertain at the City Ground. (Talksport), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column
