Early Premier League Predictions: Who Goes Down?
By Tanish Menon
5. Nottingham Forest
After 23 years, another sleeping giant of English football is back in the big time. Nottingham Forest have completed their fairytale story of a giant rising from the ashes as they clinch promotion back to the Premier League since the 1998/1999 season.
Steve Cooper did an incredible job last season as he arrived at Forest in a relegation scrap in the Championship. With nearly 17 players leaving the club following promotion to the top tier, Steve Cooper knew there would have to be a major cash injection to bring in replacements.
You almost can’t blame Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis for opening up the checkbook. The Tricky Trees have made the highest number of signings this time with nearly 21 players being brought in for an estimated figure of around £145million.
Jesse Lingard, Taiwo Awoniyi, Morgan Gibbs-White, Emmanuel Dennis, Renan Lodi, and Dean Henderson are among the standout names this season. However, so far, the team is struggling for form. They have no established identity.
Nottingham Forest currently sits 19th in the table and are currently on a four-game winless streak. They’ve conceded 14 goals whilst only scoring 4 in return, which is disappointing considering the amount of talent they possess.
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Steve Cooper has a tough job on his hands and will somehow have to ride out this rough form.