Nottingham Forest

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Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo on the draw to Villarreal: "It was a good test for us to play against a good opponent. They are organised and play good football.

"They tested us, but our answers were very good and it is very positive. We were trying to play our game and after conceding the penalty we settled down. We then created a lot of chances.

"Yes, they need improvement but we are starting to get ready [for the new season]. Now is the moment to increase minutes and approach the reality of the matches we are going to face."

On the fans support at the City Ground: "It is such a special place. Even in a pre-season the fans were here supporting us in large numbers, and this is what we expect against Bournemouth. The fans never let you down, even in the worst situations they come out in their dozens.

"We cannot thank them enough, but we will try through hard work to give them something back."

What did you make of that performance, Forest fans?

Which player impressed you the most?

Let us know your thoughts here, external

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Anthony Elanga, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Morgan Gibbs-White proved to be a productive attacking trio for Nottingham Forest last season, and Elanga has been speaking to BBC Radio Nottingham about their off-field friendship.

The Sweden international said: "I feel like we've got a great connection off the pitch as well. We're always talking with each other, we just understand each other really well. It's a great feeling to be able to play with those players."

Elanga continued: "Callum's loud, he won't even mind me saying that and he'd probably say I'm loud. Morgan's loud and chilled, he has probably got that balance.

"But they're amazing lads, I couldn't speak more highly of them. I love playing with them, I love being with them outside the pitch and they're just amazing."

Listen to the full episode of Shut Up And Show More Football on BBC Sounds

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Nottingham Forest have unveiled their new away kit for the upcoming 2024-25 season.

The bold shirt features a "striking grey" colour-block design with "hot pink accents" highlighting the club badge and shirt sponsors.

Forest are set to debut their new away strip in their pre-season friendly against sister club Olympiakos in Greece on Thursday, 8th August.

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BBC Radio Nottingham's Colin Fray has been discussing the signing of Jota Silva on Shut Up And Show More Football: "He is a guy who comes in with something to prove.

"He had a very good year last year in the Primeira Liga, he has also played European football in the Conference League the last couple of years. Last year he scored 15 goals from 42 appearances, which, from a guy who can play across the line behind the striker, is a very good return.

"He will be keen to make his mark on the Premier League and that is the question with everyone who comes into the Premier League – can they adapt? We have seen a lot of signings come in and a few of them have taken a little bit of time to adapt to the pace and power of the Premier League.

"That will be key to how quickly he can apply pressure to [Anthony] Elanga and [Callum] Hudson-Odoi for one of those wide places. It certainly adds cover if one of them gets injured or suspended and that is what Nuno was looking for.

"He will continue looking for another one, so I don’t think it will stop the search for extra forward power. Certainly Jota Silva looks to be another astute signing this summer.

"Forest have made a few of those and they are building what looks to be a strong, solid squad and making strides towards getting more strength in depth."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

The latest episode of Shut Up And Show More Football from BBC Radio Nottingham is available now on BBC Sounds.

You can hear interviews with goalkeeper Matz Sels and winger Anthony Elanga, while there is also reaction to the signing of Portugal international Jota Silva.

Listen now on BBC Sounds

We asked for your views on Jota Silva, who signed for Nottingham Forest on Thursday.

Here are some of your comments:

Tim: Jota looks a strong and pacy winger with an eye for goal and surprisingly good in the air. I'd compare to him to Adama Traore when he was at Wolves but with more end product. He's the right age and I think this could be (although you never know) a bargain. Definitely challenging for a place with Elanga and Hudson-Odoi and fits Nuno's counter-attack game.

Carl: Great bit of business, will be good cover and competition for Elanga. We are looking really good in pre-season and I am very positive for the new season.

Dan: Let's hope he can create some healthy competition for places and pop up with some important goal contributions. A positive addition.

Tommo: Think the Silva signing is an astute one - a relatively low transfer fee for an international forward. Would like to see us sign an out-and-out striker now. Awoniyi can't stay fit so someone to support Chris Wood would be ideal.

Pete: More than happy with this signing and our summer transfers in general so far. There seems at last to be a more structured, focused approach, rather than the exact opposite in the past two summers.

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Nottingham Forest have announced the signing of Portugal international Jota Silva from Vitoria de Guimaraes on a four-year deal.

The 25-year-old scored 11 goals and registered six assists in the Portuguese top flight last season as Vitoria secured a sixth-place finish.

His form earned him a call up to Roberto Martinez's senior squad in March and he made his debut in a 5-2 win over Sweden.

Forest chief football officer Ross Wilson said: "We can see how excited Jota is to continue his career journey beyond Portugal where he has enjoyed such a strong period in the Primeira Liga with Vitoria Guimaraes."

Forest fans, are you excited by this signing? Where will he fit in?

Let us know here, external

Nottingham Forest are set to sign 24-year-old Portuguese winger Jota Silva from Vitoria Guimaraes for 7m euros (£5.9m), in a deal that also includes up to 5m euros (£4.2m) in add-ons. (Sky Sports), external

Everton are interested in Paraguay forward Ramon Sosa, 24, but face competition from Nottingham Forest in their bid to sign him from CA Talleres. (Teamtalk), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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Players like Manchester United’s Rasmus Hojlund are already suffering from hamstring injuries two weeks before the season even starts - and they say the modern preparation regimes are better, safer and more scientific!

They probably are better. At least the players do not have to go through some of the borderline sadistic routines that previous generations did. Back then, after a decent length of summer break, pre-season meant working incredibly hard over a short period of time to get yourself back in top condition fast.

Sprinting up and down gigantic sand dunes against the clock until many players were physically sick was de rigueur, alongside other road runs and track work.

Here is the weird part: I used to look forward to that, the way a class swot looks forward to exams. Being smaller, lighter and a committed long-distance runner all my young life, even before I became a pro footballer, it was, if not exactly a piece of cake, then certainly much easier for me than most of the rest of the team.

I have asked many modern managers what they would prefer to do in a perfect world during their pre-season. The most common answer is "just about anything other than what we are forced to do now!"

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Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis O'Brien has joined Los Angeles FC on loan until December, with the Major League Soccer side having an option to make the move permanent.

O'Brien, 25, spent last season on loan at Championship club Middlesbrough and heads back to the USA after a previous loan spell with DC United in 2023.

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Pat Nevin, former Chelsea, Everton and Scotland winger writing in his Football Extra newsletter:

The pre-season friendlies are in full swing and let's be straight about this, the players generally hate these games, whatever they say.

They clearly haven't had enough rest in the summer, it is a grind getting your body back into peak shape, especially if the accumulated injuries from last season haven’t been allowed to fully recover.

The games themselves are weird affairs, where you would like to win but that is nowhere near the most important thing. Fitness, integrating new players, possibly a new manager and sometimes a new system are each more important. You also know full well that it is a hotch-potch of a team selection to give players minutes. The fans, mass media and social media will read far too much into every game and every performance.

From within the team itself, there are different motivations. A young or new player being given his first chance will be racing about like an overexcited spaniel. Other experienced players will be easing themselves back into it, the primary concern in their minds is to be fit and healthy come the first weekend of the Premier League season.

‌Deep down they don't worry if they get thumped by Celtic or DC United on their US tours, nobody at Chelsea or Aston Villa will remember or care about these results in two weeks' time.

‌Unless of course you are a DC or indeed Celtic fan. The Celts just beat Chelsea and Man City. Now that is impressive pre-season form or is that just Scottish bias.

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Nottingham Forest have announced midfielder Ryan Yates has committed his future to the club until 2028 with the option to extend for a further year.

Yates, 26, joined the Forest Academy at the age of eight and has made 203 appearances for the club.

He was named vice-captain ahead of the Reds' return to the Premier League in 2022 and has made 61 top-flight appearances.

"I'm absolutely buzzing and can't wait for the season to start now," Yates said. "Having been here for so long, I really understand what the club means to people who have worked here for many years, the supporters and just Nottingham in general.

"Every time I put the shirt on and wear the armband, I just look to reflect what this club is all about and what this city is all about."

Chief football officer Ross Wilson added: "It goes without saying that we are thrilled to have reached this agreement with Ryan.

"He’s someone our fans admire, and I know how much the club means to him.

"Our owner drives unity throughout the club and undoubtedly Ryan is a huge part of that togetherness. He will be crucial as we continue to strive forwards together."

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Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels says it is about "commitment" not structure when defending set pieces.

The 32-year-old joined the Reds on deadline day in February and went on to feature 16 times in the Premier League, conceding 27 goals.

Nearly a third of all Forest's goals conceded last season came from set pieces, with no team in the league letting in more than their 22.

"We tried to change the structure - man against man, zonal - in the end it is not about the structure it is about commitment," he told BBC East Midlands Today.

"I'm not saying that we didn't do it well last season but in the the end it was crazy, we always took a goal from the set piece.

"In football, set plays and set pieces are important. We need to improve this for next season. Last season every week we were working on it but we still conceded goals on it.

"There was not really something that we could do better, maybe just commitment, so maybe this season we won't concede that many more goals like that."

Despite becoming Nuno Espirito Santo's number one keeper last campaign, Sels will face competition for his position this season with the arrival of 6ft 8in Brazilian Carlos Miguel.

Asked who will be number one Sels said: "I don't know. I did my job last season. The coach will always decide.

"Matt Turner, Miguel, me, there is good competition between us and in the end it is important to have competition between keepers.

"We are good with each other and, most important, it is always [about] the team and the coach will decide. But I did my job last season so we will see what happens this season."

David Lockwood
BBC Sport Editorial Sustainability Lead

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Los Angeles or Chesterfield? San Diego or Salford?

The pre-season destinations of 20 Premier League clubs may be varied, but the issue remains the same - the impact of so many flights.

Half (10) of the clubs have flown to the United States for friendlies; three have travelled to the Far East and the rest are in Europe and the UK.

Manchester United's pre-season schedule see them flying almost 13,000 miles playing fixtures in Norway, Scotland, and across the US. Chelsea and Tottenham are also expected to fly in excess of 12,000 miles.

In contrast, Everton will fly the least, with just one fixture outside the UK in the Republic of Ireland.

Spurs and Newcastle also played an exhibition fixture in May - three days after the season finished - for which they both flew to Melbourne, Australia, a game Alan Shearer described as “madness”. Add in those air miles and both teams will have travelled in excess of 30,000 air miles in the close-season, equivalent to more than once around the globe, to play in non-competitive matches.

Newcastle and Spurs both have a target to be Net Zero by 2030, while Manchester United and Chelsea are in process of establishing an emissions reduction plan.

Net Zero requires the reduction and removal of all 'non-essential emissions' - so are these games essential?

Wycombe's David Wheeler is a leading sustainability campaigner in football and told BBC Sport: "These games are only necessary in the sense that the clubs want to make more money and grow their fan base".

He added: "The vast majority of players don't want to be away from their families, they don't want to be travelling around the world after a full slog of a season. They're overworked and injuries have gone through the roof, so there is a synergy between player welfare and planetary welfare."

An estimated travelling group of 30 flying 12,864 air miles business class generates around 200 tonnes of CO2 - the equivalent of 500,000 miles driven by an average petrol car, or the entire annual emissions for a year of 16 people in the UK.

Tottenham said it is "committed to minimising its environmental impact" in all its operations, "which will take time and effort". The club says it "ensures" all teams travel "as sustainably as possible throughout the season". It "measures, manages and reports on travel emissions" and will offsets "where possible."

Read more about the Premier League's pre-season air miles here

We asked for your views on Nottingham Forest's 1-0 friendly defeat to Elche.

Coxsy got in touch and said: I think Nuno must be hammering the point to the chairman about needing a new striker and winger.

Playing Ui-jo, Dennis and Bowler upfront doesn't give me much hope for the season if we get a few injuries. Big mention for Sangare and Dominguez as a midfield two - they've been stand-out players. That said, I am not liking the 3-4-3 system.

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Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood spoke to the Shut Up And Show More Football podcast about manager Nuno Espirito Santo, who is entering his first full season at the club:

"I think a full pre-season really helps for a manager to get his ideas across and that's why he was keen to have everyone here for the full six weeks.

"It's never going to be easy when you're trying to learn something different. We're halfway through pre-season now so we've still got time to get comfortable with it. It's going in the right direction."

On the Forest squad, Wood added: "At the moment it's more settled. You've got to keep the group together and you want to work with a number that you're used to. The turnover of players makes it hard to get consistency, so if we can keep the core group and keep ticking over together, I think it will be great step forward."

On new signing Nikola Milenkovic, Wood said: "He's a big lad and he's got some good feet, we're lucky to have him. He's shown what he's about so it will be interesting to see him more in games. I think the four singings we've made have been very astute."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Simon Stone in Los Angeles
Chief football news reporter

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Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis O’Brien is on the brink of returning to Major League Soccer on loan with LAFC.

O’Brien spent the first half of the 2023 MLS campaign with DC United after a proposed deadline day move to Blackburn fell through and there was no room in Forest’s first-team squad.

The 25-year-old former Huddersfield man spent last term at Middlesbrough.

However, as he is not part of new Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo’s plans either, O’Brien has taken up the option of another stint in MLS and sources confirmed O’Brien has flown to the United States to complete the move.

LAFC are currently second behind city rivals LA Galaxy in the western conference of MLS and are looking to secure a second title in three years.

What did you make of the Reds' latest pre-season game?

Let us know your thoughts on the match here, external

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Nottingham Forest winger Anthony Elanga says the "sky is the limit" and only he can stop himself from getting to where he wants to be.

The 22-year-old joined the Reds from Manchester United in July 2023 and played 39 games in all competitions, scoring five goals and providing nine assists.

"It's all about learning. Trying to find the 1% to try to improve and get better," he told BBC East Midlands Today. "I've always said I'm not the finished article, I can always improve and get better.

"This is why I'm grateful to be here at Nottingham Forest because it gives me the opportunity to grow as a player and a person. I have fantastic players and staff to help me grow and now it is up to me.

"It is me against me and the only person that will stop me from going where I want to go is myself. If I can continue to listen and work hard then the sky is the limit."

The Sweden international, who came through the United academy, was a key player in Nuno Espirito Santo's side as they avoided regulation, but now hopes to take his game to another level this campaign.

"I can get faster, I can score more goals, I can set up more goals," Elanga added.

"I've got to remember last season was my first season playing over 36 games. I feel like I needed that so I can then build up for the new season knowing I'm ready and can play 36 games a season.

"I feel more experienced and more involved. This season will be different. I've taken what I've learned from last season and tweaked my game a bit more so I can be even better this season."

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Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood says he wants to "score more" and has the "belief" in himself to do so.

The 32-year-old scored 14 Premier League goals in 31 games last season to help the Reds avoid relegation.

It was as many goals as he had scored in the league since the 2019-20 campaign with Burnley.

"I view it as a positive season personally and a positive season as a team as well because we stayed up again," Wood told BBC East Midlands Today.

"Second season syndrome is very tough - it happens to a lot of teams. They stay up the first season and then they go down the next so to get over that hurdle is big.

"It's good for the club and now gives us a desire to push on and do better. I want to do more as a player and as a striker. I want to score more. I want to get into 20 goals and get as high up as possible, both for the goal tally and the team in general."

The New Zealand international found his form again having struggled during his 12 months with Newcastle United, who he joined for £25m in January 2022 and where he scored just five goals in 39 games.

"I know in myself if I play enough games I will score a good number of goals," Wood added.

"I have that belief in myself and I believe my team-mates have that belief in me. It is about just finding a situation that works well.

"Having the belief of the manager that comes in is important and Nuno gave me a lot of responsibility to go out and score. It was something I wanted and thrived on and I hope I repaid him in that sense."

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On the latest episode of the Shut Up And Show More Football podcast, BBC Radio Nottingham's Colin Fray discusses academy graduate Ryan Yates, who has signed a new deal at the club:

"It's nice to have if you've got it [being an academy graduate], but you've obviously got to have the ability and talent. There's no room for sentiment and you don't have those players in just for the sake it. You've got to be able to deliver on the pitch.

"It's a bonus to have someone like him so connected with the club. He's a fantastic role model for any player coming through the Forest academy.

"For those young players looking up and seeing Yates as a captain in the Premier League, that has to be inspiring. Just the fact that the academy is capable of producing players like that has to give a real boost to the young players inside.

"The fact he's a local boy as well and come right through, he has that close connection with everything to do with the club, that's a real bonus. "

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds