Nottinghamshire

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Nottingham Forest winger Anthony Elanga says he is "not the finished product" yet, despite his impressive season so far.

Speaking to BBC Radio Nottingham's Shut Up and Show More Football podcast, Elanga said: "It's about momentum as a player. You want momentum and momentum playing week in and week out. That is the way you are going to improve and the way you are going to learn things.

"For me, having the players around me – older, younger – taking things from them, advice, advice on my game, because I'm not the finished product, I can always improve and that is something I have been trying to do this season.

"Looking at my game and what I can try and do better because, I didn't have one of the best starts to the season, that is why I can't say I have done really well. I can still improve and get better, can still start the season even better, but, at the end of the day, it is not about how you start but how you finish.

"I want to make sure I finish as strong as possible, personally and with the team as we're more than capable of doing so.

"Whenever somebody asks me 'is this my best season?' I always say it is going to be the next one. It is always the next one – the best goal is the next one, the best assist is the next one, the best game is the next one. You can always improve and get better and better. This season I have been really trying to hone down on everything. My decision making, my finishing, my passing, my general positioning, my general understanding of the game - there is so much you can improve on as a football player.

"If you are willing to put that extra yard in, that extra work in on and off the pitch, you are more than capable of reaching heights you wouldn't think are possible to reach."

Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds

Nat Hayward
BBC Sport journalist

Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game at home against Everton (15:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Nuno was asked to provide an update on the fitness of attacking trio Chris Wood, Anthony Elanga and Taiwo Awoniyi: "We are still assessing all of them. They are struggling with problems, some small some not so small. We have one more day and then we will see if they are available for the game."

• He added he is "hopeful" each will be fit: "It could be all of them, it could be none. It depends on how they recover and how they feel."

• Asked how much of a miss Wood has been, he said: "Of course Chris has given us so many things. Unfortunately at the same time happened the situation of Awoniyi. If that didn't happen I think we would be more balanced. In the absence of two strikers it is more difficult to prepare."

• On the fifth-placed Premier League position confirmed to qualify for the Champions League next season: "It's in our hands. It opens one more space so there is more contenders but for us it doesn't change anything. Our approach will be the same. I think we have a great opportunity to achieve something great."

• He anticipates a hard game against Everton: "What we see now is a good team that plays with intensity. They have good players and have been achieving good results. The organisation is all there. Of course with the talent they have they will cause us a lot of problems on Saturday."

• When asked about the difference between last season and this, Nuno said: "It is different pressure. Last season we were fighting for survival, now we are fighting for something magical. We are always with pressure but confident. We are enjoying and we have to keep going."

• On looking to record a fifth consecutive home clean sheet: "That's the beginning of everything, the beginning of us as a team. Being compact, being solid, not giving much to our opponents, and trying to take advantage of our talent."

Follow all of Thursday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

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We asked for your views on one thing nobody is talking about at Nottingham Forest.

Here are some of your comments:

Gary: Why, with such a strong position and influence in Greece with the ownership, has the club failed so far to identify and capture any of the emerging Greek talent? Players like Pavlidis who is now potentially out of reach at 100m euros. Tzolis and Karetsas may however still represent value?

Mark: The absence of Ola Aina is more important than a lot of people think. He is a lynchpin in the dressing room and builds up team spirit and morale prior to every game. You just need to see his dancing routines on social media and the camaraderie it instils. We need him back as soon as possible.

David: Who is going to replace Chris Wood next season? At 34 years of age he probably hasn't got another season like this one in him - has he?

Chappers: Forest are not used to going behind much this season. So chasing the game against an extremely good Villa side felt like something new. It also revealed the Forest team in a new light. They might not have earned points from the encounter, but it was really interesting to see them play attacking football in the second half. They carved out multiple chances and demonstrated the ability to play in a totally different way. This can only bode well moving forward for the Reds.

Jez: Apart from a recent run of tough and long games, Forest have had very few injuries. By playing out of possession and then hitting teams on the break, they are not chasing the game for 90 mins like other teams. Teams like Spurs, who play fast attacking and exciting football, have had loads of injuries and have suffered. Forest play attacking, measured and exciting football with very few injuries.

Tim: The number of clearances off the line made by Forest - a league high of nine this season. This shows just how dogged our defence has been and how many extra points their last ditch defending has saved.

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Nottingham Forest's Jota Silva has scored in three of his past four Premier League appearances, scoring each of those three goals as a substitute.

It is the joint most sub goals by a Forest player in a Premier League season, along with Jason Lee's three in 1994-95.