Last place despite record expenses
This article first appeared on Monday at 11:24 am and was later updated with more information.
Nottingham Forest started their first Premier League season after 23 years with record spending – eight games later they are bottom of the table. 162 million euros for 23 new players made for the largest squad in the league, with which there were five bankruptcies in the last five games with a goal difference of 4:18. No team in Europe’s top leagues has a worse record. According to information from the Telegraph and the Times, Steve Cooper’s chair is shaking.
“I refuse to be very, very critical of the group as a whole. I don’t want to be soft because it’s difficult for them too,” Cooper says of the “Timesquoted. The successor is Rafael Benítez, who was without a club and was on the bench at Everton FC until January 2022. “When you play with new players, relationships develop over time and we don’t have that at the moment. It’s a unique situation, but one we want to face,” Cooper said.
Update 4:51 p.m.: Of the “Telegraph” followed up with new information on Monday afternoon and reported that far-reaching cuts were imminent at Nottingham Forest. Greek owner Vangelis Marinakis wants to take drastic measures and release some of the key figures in the summer transfer window. In addition to coach Cooper, it is also about squad planner George Syrianos, scouting boss Andy Scott and managing director Dane Murphy.
Expect major changes before the next game against Aston Villa (Monday 10 October). Marinakis is said to be frustrated by the lack of effect of the newcomers after the high investments. His son Miltiadis had risen to prominence internally at Forest and was reportedly instrumental in signing Jesse Lingard – but Syrianos and Scott are front and center and therefore the focus of criticism.
Nottingham sets new record: Promoters with the highest transfer spend
Brennan Johnson (21), Scott McKenna (25) and Steve Cook (31) were the only three players on the field in the 4-0 loss to Leicester City, who were also struggling. Captain Cook has been on board since January 2022 and Coach Cooper since September 2021.
Benítez knows how to establish promoted teams in the Premier League
For successor candidate Benítez, Nottingham would be the 14th station of his coaching career and the fifth in England. The Spaniard has experience with promoted teams from his time at Newcastle United. He rose through the ranks with the “Magpies” in 2017 and established the club in 10th and 13th place in the Premier League before deciding to go to China in 2019 as he was unable to change the squad to his liking. In the summer he emphasized that Forest’s owner Vangelis Marinakis has no (financial) problems with changes.
Boehly, Marinakis & Co.: The owners of the Premier League clubs 2022/23
Cooper, who is under contract until 2024, believes in his chance: “I’m not thinking about my personal future. I think about how I can do my best every day and the more difficult it gets, the harder I work, the more it means to me, because that’s what leadership is all about.” his team was bottom of the table at the time and he still led them into the Premier League. Should Nottingham separate from him, the place in the table would be the same, but the league would be different.
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