Nottingham Forest's 2023 summer transfer window - summary, analysis, rating

Last summer's activity made headlines as Forest added an unprecedented number of signings, and despite a slow start to business this time around, Steve Cooper has welcomed another huge array of players into his squad this summer.

Here, Sports Mole summarises and analyses Forest's transfer business this summer and what it could mean for the season ahead.

Who have Forest signed and sold?

INs

Chris Wood - £15m from Newcastle United

Ola Aina - Free from Torino

Anthony Elanga - £15m from Manchester United

Matt Turner - £10m from Arsenal

Gonzalo Montiel - loan from Sevilla

Andrey Santos - loan from Chelsea

Murillo - £10.25m from Corinthians

Nuno Tavares - loan from Arsenal

Nicolas Dominguez - Swap from Bologna

Callum Hudson-Odoi - £5m from Chelsea

Odysseas Vlachodimos - £7.75m from Benfica

Ibrahim Sangare - £30m from PSV Eindhoven

Andrew Omobamidele - £11m from Norwich City

Divock Origi - loan from AC Milan

OUTs (selected)

Andre Ayew - released

Jack Colback - free to QPR

Jesse Lingard - released

Sam Surridge - £5m to Nashville SC

Mohamed Drager - £350,000 to Basel

Gustavo Scarpa - loan to Olympiacos

Remo Freuler - Swap to Bologna

Brennan Johnson - £47.5m to Tottenham Hotspur

How well have Forest strengthened?

In similar fashion to last summer, Forest have invested heavily in a large influx of players, many of whom have come from abroad.

Many of the players, including new club-record signing Ibrahim Sangare, as well as Odysseas Vlachodimos, Gonzalo Montiel and Divock Origi come in with big reputations.

Players from seven different leagues have joined the club this summer, but an even busier summer last year paid off eventually, as Forest survived on the penultimate weekend of the season.

Forest have also taken a chance on Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi, two players on the fringes at bigger clubs, but in the case of the latter, has worked with Cooper before at England youth level.

Elanga has already shown great promise in a red shirt, providing an excellent assist away at Arsenal, before scoring the only goal in a famous win away to Chelsea at the weekend.

One impressive feat of Forest's summer business is the strength in depth they have added to every position on the pitch.

Losing both of last season's goalkeepers has led the club to sign Matt Turner and the highly-rated Vlachodimos, who was first-choice at Benfica.

They may have broken the bank for Sangare, but Forest were also very savvy in striking a deal for fellow midfielder Nicolas Dominguez, agreeing to a swap deal with Bologna which saw the underused Remo Freuler go in the opposite direction.

Three full-backs, two strikers and two centre-backs have also been added in what has been an exciting window for the Forest faithful.

Where else could Forest have targeted?

Given the level of activity from Forest, it is difficult to criticise anything they have done this summer, with how wisely they have spent.

However last season, their main problem was conceding goals, and the only central defenders they have added are the youthful pair of Murillo and Andrew Omobamidele.

Murillo is vastly inexperienced and more of a signing for the future, while Omobamidele has only played five games before at this level, so a more senior presence coming in at the back may have been useful for a side that let in 68 goals last season.

Willy Boly, Moussa Niakhate and Scott McKenna all endured injury problems for a substantial portion of last season too, while Felipe has not fully recovered from the issue which saw him miss the start of the season.

Targets Forest missed out on:

Along with Chelsea, Forest were the club linked with the most players this summer, but the main targets the club missed out on were all players who were at the club last season.

It was no secret that Forest wanted Renan Lodi to join on a permanent deal after impressing on loan from Atletico Madrid, but the Brazilian international sought Champions League football and instead joined Marseille, who ended up losing in qualifying for the competition.

Dean Henderson and Keylor Navas both enjoyed good spells on loan last season too, with the former featuring in the first half of the campaign before Navas came in in January to replace the injured Manchester United loanee.

United's issues with signing a backup goalkeeper rumbled on all summer, meaning Henderson was not allowed to leave until very late in the window, by which time, Forest had already signed Turner and were in talks with Vlachodimos.

There were heavy links with Wilfried Ndidi, Trevoh Chalobah and Michy Batshuayi late in the window too, but Forest pursued other targets instead, leading to the signings of Sangare, Omobamidele and Origi.

Who have Forest kept hold of?

Morgan Gibbs-White was undoubtedly the key man in keeping Forest up at the tail end of last season, as the England Under-21 international hit a purple patch at the perfect time.

Three goals in the space of three weeks and a man of the match performance against Southampton was critical in Forest's survival.

Following success at the Under-21 European Championships with England over the summer, Gibbs-White became the subject of interest from Manchester City according to some reports.

The high valuation placed on the player was enough to put City and any other suitors off the time being though, but another fine season could have the elite clubs calling in 12 months' time.

Who have Forest have lost?

While the club managed to hold on to Gibbs-White, late interest in Brennan Johnson from Tottenham Hotspur presented Forest with an offer they could not refuse.

On the same day they broke their transfer record for Sangare, Johnson became the club's record sale moving to Spurs for £47.5m.

Johnson's 29 goals in the previous two seasons will be a big miss for a side that were not exactly prolific on their return to the top flight, so the likes of Elanga and Hudson-Odoi will have to step up to fill his shoes.

Forest's transfer window - 9/10

For a third window in a row, Forest have punched above their weight in the transfer window, but the arrival of Sangare is the most notable yet.

The Ivorian was one of the most sought-after mid-range midfielders in Europe and the financial might of the Premier League bore its head again with Forest beating the competition to his signature.

Elsewhere, strengthening in every area of the pitch shows that there is more of a plan in place than there was last summer when Forest were accused of taking a scattergun approach to their transfer policy.

Signing Elanga and Hudson-Odoi for a combined £20m also could be a great bit of business given the promise both have shown at bigger clubs, while adding Vlachodimos in goal for just £7.75m could be another potentially brilliant deal.

Adding the more combative and younger Dominguez in a swap deal involving Freuler is also a very smart move from the club, as he and Sangare could form a solid partnership in midfield.

Losing Johnson will be a huge blow though, and selling such a key player is the only thing that has stopped it from being a perfect transfer window for the club, despite the high figure they received.