Nottinghamshire

Colin Fray
BBC Radio Nottingham reporter

Image source, Getty Images

There is great love for Taiwo Awoniyi.

He has done a lot of work off the field with Nottingham Forest - and of course a lot of good work on the field as well.

Since he has been at the club, he has done everything with a massive smile on his face. That is what has endeared him to the Nottingham public.

He obviously had some real problems while he was at the club as well, none more so than at the back end of the 2024-25 season when he collided with the goalpost in a game against Leicester City at the City Ground.

It was then he had to be put into an induced coma as he recovered from a ruptured intestine - but there were lots of other injury problems as well.

Yet, whenever Forest needed him and needed a goal, he was on the pitch and able to deliver in those crucial moments, such as the day they secured Premier League survival against Arsenal.

But that wasn't the only goal he scored in that fight against relegation, he got a couple against Southampton in that run as well.

He scored twice against Chelsea, twice at Stamford Bridge in big games. One of those braces was in the 2025-26 season and those goals were huge in terms of Forest staying up.

He has this knack of being in the right place at the right time.

He scored 23 goals in 103 appearances for the club. Forest secured him as their first signing after promotion to the Premier League for £17m four years ago - and he has delivered those memories.

Owner Evangelos Marinakis has led the tributes to him - and he goes to Coventry City with everybody's blessing.

There is a hope that he has a fabulous season with them, apart from when he faces Forest.

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Image source, NOTTINGHAM FOREST FC

Nottingham Forest have announced a new front-of-shirt sponsor for the 2026-27 season, with owner Evangelos Marinakis stating the deal is "another important step in the continued growth of our club".

Marex will become the club's principle partner, global markets partner and exclusive provider of foreign exchange and other financial services - and their branding will appear on the front of all men's and women's kits.

"Marex is an ambitious, global business with a strong reputation for excellence and performance," Marinakis said after announcing the multi-year partnership.

"Those qualities reflect our own ambitions for Nottingham Forest. We look forward to working together and building a successful relationship."

The club added that information will be circulated "in due course" for supporters wishing to have the new sponsor branding printed on their already purchased shirts.

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

Image source, Getty Images

Last season, the Premier League was arguably more competitive than it has been for years.

While the 65 points between champions Arsenal and bottom side Wolves was around the average for a 38-game season (63), a real revolution took place in mid-table.

Since the league was reduced to 20 teams in 1995-96, the gap between the top four and the bottom three – between what has often been the Champions League and the Championship – had been increasing as the seasons went by, with the 'bigger' clubs profiting from their European adventures and the extra money they earned by regularly finishing higher in the table.

But last season, the gap between the 'haves' and the 'have-nots' of the Premier League dropped from 44 points in 2024-25 to just 26 points – the smallest distance for 23 years (since 25 points in 2002-03).

The European places were more attainable than they had been for years. Despite taking a point fewer than when they finished seventh the season before, Aston Villa clinched Champions League qualification by finishing two places higher.

While Liverpool took the 'bonus' Champions League place by finishing fifth, their points total of 60 was the lowest by a side finishing there for 19 years and would have put them ninth in 2024-25.

Bournemouth and Sunderland also took full advantage of needing fewer points than normal by qualifying for European competition for the first time ever and for over half a century respectively.

Read more on the Premier League's competitive numbers

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Nottingham Forest boss Oliver Glasner is hopeful of up to three new signings before the end of the transfer window.

The former Crystal Palace head coach expects Forest to be busy in the final two weeks of the window, after a 2-0 friendly win over Ligue 1 side Stade Brest at the City Ground.

Chris Wood's penalty and Luca Netz's goal earned Forest victory on Sunday in their final pre-season game.

Summer signing Xaver Schlager started but with just the midfielder and Ousmane Diomande as new arrivals Glasner is eager for more.

He said: "We have two or three additions in the pipeline, let's say like this.

"It's always two clubs, the player and the agent and as soon as these four parties find an agreement we will have another player.

"I'm very pleased so far. We brought two top players in with Schlager and Diomande. I think everybody can see the impact Schlager can have in our game.

"Diomande is just at the beginning of the pre-season, after a longer break after the World Cup, so he will need a little bit of time to be fully fit.

"Having two players from top five leagues, both played more than 100 games, for their country, playing Champions League football, that will give us quality and experience. So far everything we wanted to do we already did."

Glasner, though, declined to elaborate on Forest's work in the final weeks of the window.

"It just makes it more expensive," he added.

The Austrian also confirmed there was never any chance of Morgan Gibbs-White leaving the City Ground after Elliot Anderson's £116m move to Manchester City.

"It was clear after selling Elliot Anderson that none of our starters will leave the club. That's a commitment from the ownership and no player has asked to leave the club," he said.

"[Gibbs-White leaving] was never a topic. We didn't have to talk about it – it was a non-verbal agreement. We looked each other in the eye, because we want to be successful. If we want to strengthen the squad it makes no sense to sell starters."

Glasner rested many of his stars on Sunday, including Gibbs-White and new defender Diomande after a behind-closed-doors friendly with Coventry on Saturday, which Forest won 2-0.

It gave an insight into the manager's thinking ahead of Saturday's Premier League home opener against Leeds.

Only Wood, Nicolas Dominguez, Schlager and Callum Hudson-Odoi may be viewed as in contention to start.

Arnaud Kalimuendo started on the right with Zach Abbott, Jair Cunha and Morato making up the back three.

"We played very well, created some good chances and always being compact. I'm very pleased what I could see," said Glasner, who confirmed Ryan Yates is expected to miss Saturday's opener.

Nottingham Forest have joined the race to sign Liam Delap from Chelsea, with the 23-year-old English striker keen to stay in the Premier League. (Talksport), external

AC Milan manager Ruben Amorim has excluded Youssouf Fofana from his plans for the season, with Forest and Crystal Palace now interested in the France midfielder, 27. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

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Image source, Getty Images

Nottingham Forest concluded their pre-season schedule with a 2-0 win against Brest at the City Ground.

Oliver Glasner's side opened the scoring against their Ligue 1 opponents through a Chris Wood penalty after January signing Luca Netz was bought down in the penalty area.

Defender Netz then converted Nicolas Dominguez's clever, first-time pass to double Forest's lead before half-time.