Nottingham Forest finally land £30m transfer pay off with new addition

The latest Nottingham Forest news as we take a look at some of the talking points from the 4-3 pre-season friendly win over Olympiacos.

Nottingham Forest finished their pre-season preparations with an entertaining 4-3 victory over Olympiacos on Thursday night as the new Premier League season edges closer.

Goals from Ryan Yates (x2), Chris Wood and Anthony Elanga did see Forest 4-1 up in the game. But two late goals from Olympiacos reduced the deficit.

A key addition

One key thing proved to be the difference between Forest and Olympiacos on the night – set pieces. Three of Forest’s four goals on the night came from dead ball situations with summer signing Elliot Anderson the provider.

On the other hand, the Reds were able to easily cope with any similar situations that came their way from Olympiacos. It’s a good sign ahead of the new Premier League season.

Set pieces can be key in Premier League matches with them often being the difference between taking all three points or taking none at all. The first and third goals came from well worked routines that led to Yates being in the right place at the right time to head the ball home, while the second saw Wood capitalise on a goalkeeping error.

The ruthlessness from set-pieces throughout the game is a good sign for the Reds. They will now hope to take that into the opening game against Bournemouth.

Ibrahim Sangare boost

One big positive from the whole of pre-season is the performances of Ibraham Sangare. The £30m Ivorian joined Forest last summer with the club hoping he would be a big player as they try to build in the Premier League.

But his 2023/24 campaign didn’t really go to plan. Injuries saw him make just 17 league appearances and made his season a stop-start one.

The good news for Forest is if pre-season is anything to go by, then he has put last season behind him. Sangare was the standout player for the Reds in the game against Olympiacos, mopping up danger and starting attacks from the base of midfield.

There was a slight worry when he went down holding his knee early in the game, but much to the relief of everyone of a red persuasion, he returned to his feet after receiving treatment and was able to continue. Sangare played for just over an hour before being replaced by Danilo, taking him off was a wise move, with the midfielder expected to be in the starting line-up vs Bournemouth on the opening day, where he will look to replicate his pre-season performances.

The Premier League is here

So, that’s it for Forest. All of their pre-season games are done and the next time they will be on the pitch will be against Bournemouth in just over a weeks’ time.

Nuno will of course still have some training sessions with the players before that match to fine tune some details. But the season is almost upon us, time to see what it will bring for the Reds.