Summer Transfer Window 2025

I maintain that I wouldn't have signed Hutchinson at the price we paid, and it feels like his Joorabchian links are the only reason we did.

Luiz feels different because his Villa track record suggests he is (or can be) a step up from what we have. Zinchenko likewise a no-brainer as long as he's happy to fight for a place.

None of this explains why Nuno, from day 1, allegedly took such a personal dislike to Edu (by most accounts an affable guy who gets along with people - an Arsenal-supporting mate tells me he might if anything be too laid back). But it feels like we might never know the reason, unless there is an autobiography coming.

It's like a shit Dave Rave tribute band in here.

You pay a premium for English/homegrown and for premier league experience. £37m for him is probably equivalent to about 2/3rds of that without those two factors.

As they discussed on Forest Focus with the Arsenal fan today though, he's not really a left back. He's a left sided midfielder / left back who tucks in. His defending is a bit suss. I'm not quite sure where he fits into our team?

I'm not saying I wouldn't have signed him. I'm just concerned he's been brought in by Edu, but that Nuno is going to struggle to fit him into the team.

I mentioned it when we got him (hutchinson) that it seemed like a KIa transfer and for that price you could have probably got a Nico O’Reilly off the Manc’s. I also believe it was the same day of the Nuno mardy. I don’t think the two are unrelated. Harvey Elliot was cheaper. Anyway, we have him now but that stinks of EDU. Let’s hope he has half the talent of primo Sterling.

Smacks of an indulgence transfer to me. Something he was accused of at Arsenal until Arteta put his foot down and refused to buy his (Kia), clients. Then EDU buckled down and did some good work.

Anyway we shall see.

Chicago: Conspiracy Theorist.

Fair points, and will be interesting to see how that plays out. For a last minute panic signing (which he must be given absolutely no whisper of a link until after the deadline had passed) we could have done much worse. (Weird he's not in the Europa squad though.)

Sure. But not paying that premium is a viable option, especially for someone who is lightweight and got (I think) 2 goals and 3 assists all last season.

Maybe that's what Nuno is trying (and failing) to do.

Personally think it’s better that the manager doesn’t get full say in every player, their shelf life is pretty short so little point in having all Nuno signings. It wouldn’t be long until our next manager is stuck with Traore.

Edu wasn’t here when Cooper was sulking and not playing Balde or Santos.

Perhaps we need to be a bit clearer when making managerial appointments.

That's why in North American sports you see the General Manager (the equivalent of the Director of Football) make the head coaching appointments to avoid these types of situations. When the head coach starts puling these types of shenanigans, it usually means he's instantly fired. If the General Manager is hired after the appointment of the Head Coach (which is effectively what happened in the Nuno/Edu timeline), the owner has to make sure that the Head Coach is on board with the new GM coming in. I'm not sure Nuno had much input into the Edu hire.

It also seems to be complicated by our structure across multiple clubs and countries. Edu is the Global Head of Football across all clubs. It seems strange that he would have any direct interaction with the Head Coach of one of the clubs in the group. Ross Wilson is the Chief Football Officer, we love an interesting title, of Nottingham Forest and you would think the Head Coach might report to him, but Marinakis is a very active owner, as the Big Man of What He Wants Where He Wants, so he also steps into the structure as he sees fit. Who actually has responsibility for what on any given day might be a bit confused at times.

I thought Wilson had left?

Not yet. He has been linked with Newcastle for a while.