Nottinghamshire

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo has been speaking to the media before Saturday's FA Cup quarter-final at Brighton (kick-off 17:15 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Striker Chris Wood will miss the match after going to see a specialist for a scan on a hip injury picked up during the international break. Nuno confirmed they will "wait on information" to understand the extent of the issue.

• With the majority of players arriving back from international duty on Thursday, the club still have to assess everyone to see who will be available.

• On Murillo needing support from fans after a difficult international debut for Brazil: "We work together today. This is the game - he should be proud. It is not easy to achieve to play for Brazil with all the quality they have. Murillo joined us last season and he has been rising and achieving things as an individual. One of those is to play for Brazil. We are very proud."

• Despite not playing any minutes for England after his call-up, Nuno said Morgan Gibbs-White is a "is a top, top player with so much talent and quality" and the forward "doesn't have to prove anybody wrong": "This is not the state of mind you should have. [Gibbs-White] needs to play and compete for us and his team-mates and give everything he has for Forest. The other things will come naturally."

• On what individual awards mean after being nominated for the Premier League manager of the month award: "That the group is working well. Not only the players, but the staff, the club, the fans, everybody who is involved with Forest. This a nomination for everybody."

• On the possibility of reaching Forest's first FA Cup semi-final since 1991: "We are aware we are going to face a very difficult opponent. What comes after, we will see. We love the cup. We will give everything we can to achieve what our fans expect and desire."

• The Forest boss said "the big issue still remains" after the Premier League confirmed the dates for the summer transfer window. He believes it should close before competitive football returns in August: "The window will still be open when the competition of the Premier League starts, so that battle is not won. What I believe is better for the competition is the moment it starts, the window should be closed."

• He added: "Yes, that [early window opening] is definitely a distraction - it is not normal. We need to focus on how we are going to recruit as soon as possible so we can start working better."

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Premier League clubs have agreed the dates for the summer transfer window.

The window will open early, between Sunday 1 June and Tuesday 10 June, due to an exceptional registration period relating to the Fifa Club World Cup.

It will then reopen on Monday 16 June and close on Monday 1 September.

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Nottingham Forest winger Anthony Elanga and defender Nikola Milenkovic have both been nominated for March's Premier League Player of the Month award.

In what continues to be an impressive season for the Reds, the duo were instrumental in two important wins for Nuno Espirito Santo's side this month.

Sweden international Elanga put on a fine display in Forest's 4-2 win over Ipswich Town at Portman Road where he scored twice.

His first Premier League brace took his goal involvements in 2024-25 to 13, with five goals and eight assists.

It was a match that also saw summer signing Milenkovic score the opener and provide an assist for team-mate Elanga.

The Serbia international was also a key figure at the back in helping Forest keep a clean sheet in their 1-0 win over defending champions Manchester City.

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Matz Sels has been integral to Nottingham Forests' rise up the Premier League table this term, keeping 12 clean sheets across the side's 29 games.

While the team remain on course to achieve European football for the first time in 30 years, the Belgium international could also write a piece of individual history too.

Since its inception in 2004-05, no goalkeeper outside the so-called 'Big Six' has ever won the Premier League Golden Glove.

Sels stands just nine games away from becoming the first to do so.

He currently leads the way in the standings, one clear of Arsenal's David Raya (11), who won the prize last season.

They are the only two goalkeepers to hit double figures for shutouts so far in England's top flight. Sels also ranks third best for most saves (89) in 2024-25.

With a return to Europe's top table tantalisingly close for the Reds, their stopper has an extra incentive to help them to get it over the line.

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Nottingham Forest are ready to offer defender Neco Williams a new contract.

The Wales international's current deal expires next summer and Forest are keen to keep him at the City Ground, with talks at a very early stage.

Left-back Williams has been a key part of a defence which has conceded just 35 goals in the Premier League this season, the third best, with Forest third in the table.

Atalanta were interested in the 23-year-old last summer but Williams remained with Forest and has played 29 times this season.

He joined from Liverpool for £17m in 2022 and has made 97 appearances, scoring twice.

Forest have already tied down 18-goal Chris Wood to a new deal until 2027 after defender Murillo signed a new four-and-a-half year contract in January.

They travel to Brighton in the their FA Cup quarter final tie on Saturday before hosting Manchester United in the Premier League next Tuesday.

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This is the first FA Cup meeting between Brighton and Nottingham Forest. Forest have progressed from both previous cup ties against the Seagulls - 3-1 in the 1977-78 League Cup quarter-finals, and 3-0 on aggregate in the 1986-87 League Cup second round.

Brighton have progressed from their past two FA Cup quarter-finals, beating Millwall on penalties in 2018-19 and thrashing Grimsby Town 5-0 in 2022-23.

Forest have lost their past three FA Cup quarter-final ties, all by a 1-0 scoreline. They most recently reached the semi-finals of the competition in 1990-91, ultimately reaching the final and losing to Tottenham.

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Sweden's Anthony Elanga said Northern Ireland are a "really good young team" and praised goalkeeper Pierce Charles, despite dominating Michael O'Neill's young side in the Stockholm friendly.

Nottingham Forest striker Elanga was on the scoresheet in Sweden's 5-1 win on Tuesday night, but thinks the beaten visitors are heading in the right direction under O'Neill.

"I've been watching Northern Ireland and I think they're really good, they've got a really good manager.

"You've got a really good, young team that play football, play good football. I really enjoy watching you guys play."

Elanga knows a number of O'Neill's squad and believes 19-year-old goalkeeper Charles, who won his sixth cap at the Strawberry Arena, is an "amazing" prospect.

"I know a few of the players, Ethan Galbraith who I played with at [Manchester] United, the Charles brothers [who were products of the Manchester City youth system].

"He [Pierce] is an amazing goalkeeper by the way, he's got a bright future."

Sweden's victory came without Tottenham winger Dejan Kulusevski and Sporting Lisbon striker Victor Gyokeres.

Elanga said he was "not at all" frustrated to start the game on the bench, especially with Nottingham Forest's FA Cup quarter-final against Brighton on Saturday.

"Coming on, I wanted to make an impact and score and that's what I did.

"It's important to stay fit and healthy because I've got a lot of games coming up for Nottingham Forest."

Image source, Getty Images

Nottingham Forest have enjoyed remarkable success this season, third in the Premier League and lining up an FA quarter-final at Brighton on Saturday.

"If nothing else, this season has taught the fans that they can dream," BBC Sport reporter Charlie Slater told Radio Sussex's Albion Unlimited podcast.

"The prospect of a trip to Wembley is a huge thing for the Forest fanbase because they have barely been over the past two-and-a-half decades.

"The time they visited was the Championship play-off final under Steve Cooper when they won promotion. So the idea of getting to Wembley for an FA Cup semi-final is mouthwatering."

The club's most recent domestic cup appearance at Wembley was back in 1992, when Brian Clough's side lost 1-0 to Manchester United in the League Cup final.

Listen to the full episode of Albion Unlimited on BBC Sounds