Why did Nottingham Forest sign 22 players?

October 13 – Nottingham Forest broke a 20-year record for the most signings by a British club in a single transfer window – a record previously jointly held by Dundee United and Livingston in Scotland.

Despite their European Champions history, Nottingham Forest spent the last 23 years outside of the Premier League. Even with the best football sportsbooks, they were not expecting to be back this soon.

Steve Cooper was handed the reins in September of 2021 (midseason) and proved the surprise package of the season, building a squad that would make it to England’s top-tier league. They finally secured their place by winning Huddersfield town at Wembley in a fiercely contested playoff game.

Is the team that brought you into the premier league not good enough to keep you there?

Many newly promoted teams find themselves asking this question because the answer ultimately determines whether that team floats, or sinks again. Bounceback teams like, Norwich, haven’t found an answer. Fulham look like they might have.

There is no black or white answer to that question. Even the big teams make significant adjustments to their squad even after winning trophies. But do you need to be 22 players better?

For Nottingham Forest, the answer is probably yes.

When you look at the current situation of the club, buying 22 players isn’t as stupid as people make it out to be.

While in the Championship, Steve Cooper had to make decisions especially when it came to signings and since the money wasn’t available, he opted for loans. One significant loan was of creative midfielder, James Garner from Manchester United.

In an interview with BBC Sport, Steve Cooper said: “We were always going to have to sign a lot of players regardless of the league…”

He also mentioned that they had a lot of outgoings from the club so “…we don’t have more players than all the other Premier League clubs…besides we want competition in every position…”

Good signings or bad signings?

Despite signing 22 players, Forest spent significantly less money than the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United. In all, they spent about €150 million on signings with Morgan Gibbs-White as the most expensive. In comparison Chelsea spent €271 million.

On the business side, Forest management has done well. They signed players of good quality and are keeping salary levels manageable.

Cooper’s signings, look intentional rather than random – he went after a certain profile of players.

The majority of his new signings are those who have either been overlooked and passed over at their previous clubs for one reason or the other. They should be motivated but it will take a while to get good results.

Where Does FFP come in?

Does signing 22 players not contradict Financial Fair Play Rules?

No, Forest doesn’t even come close to breaking FFP rules.

In the Championship players earn lower salaries and TV rights are not such a significant part of club income. So even though Forest were in debt, they are still in a good place as far as the Premier League is concerned.

In the Premier League TV rights guarantee clubs more than £110 million per season. Even with an influx of players, Forest have not massively expanded their wage bill.

Transfer fees can be amortised over 3 to 5 years and Forest has paid an average of £10 million per player for 14 players. Other players like Serge Aurier have come to the club either free or on loan.

It is not the ideal situation for any elite club, but Nottingham Forest has done what they can and they have done it quite well. Now it is down to Cooper to make it work.

Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1711694411labto1711694411ofdlr1711694411owedi1711694411sni@o1711694411fni1711694411