The party is not quite over for Nottingham Forest after their stunning promotion to the Premier League in May but the hard work behind the scenes is already in full swing.
Steve Cooper’s side are back in the top flight not a minute too soon after returning following a 23-year absence, having defeated Huddersfield Town in the Championship play-off final back in May.
But although Cooper will be keen to reward his stars who have guided them back into the Premier League, reality bites and it is likely Forest will have to bring in plenty of recruitments if they wish to keep their place among England’s elite sides beyond a year.
Nottingham Forest are back in the Premier League after winning the Championship play-offs
Norwich City in recent seasons are an example of how spending little and keeping faith with mostly Championship winners can lead to miserable campaigns in the Premier League.
But teams can go too far as well, with Fulham also going straight back down in 2019 despite a mass array of incoming transfers totalling £100m.
So a balancing act needs to be found – but where are the key areas Cooper needs to address to keep the Premier League cameras inside the City Ground beyond 2023?
Manager Steve Cooper will now be keen to make a number of signings during the summer
A huge concern for Forest next term is where the goals are going to come from. Granted, starman Brennan Johnson scored 16 times playing just off the main forward, while Lewis Grabban and Sam Surridge chipped in with 19 between them.
Grabban was the more used striker but he is now 34 and has played much of his career in the second tier. His only appearances in the top flight came with Norwich City where he struck once in six games before a year at Bournemouth saw him fail to score at all in 18 games.
Likewise, Surridge also failed to find the net regularly during his Premier League years with the Cherries so it’s no surprise that one of Forest’s first priorities this summer was to land a striker.
Encouragingly for Cooper, this has already been completed with a club record move of £17.5m for Nigerian and former Liverpool forward Taiwo Awoniyi from German side Union Berlin.
Taiwo Awoniyi is set to arrive as a record transfer from Union Berlin to boost the attack
This may be enough for now in attack given the other areas of squad that need addressing with limited funds to spend, but Cooper may also consider brining Aston Villa striker Keinan Davis back in on loan after…