Premier League team introductions: Nottingham have finally won the Premier League and plan to stay in it. Will the mighty summer strengthening be enough?

For 23 long years Nottingham fans have been waiting for the Premier League and last season the club finally broke into the top flight. Under Steve Cooper’s leadership, they went from the bottom of the Championship to the play-offs, which they dominated. Can a team with a rich past hold on?

The management team

Manager Steve Cooper has already made an indelible mark on the hearts of the fans. When Nottingham took over last season, the team was bottom of League 2 and had only 1 point from 7 games.

Under Cooper, however, they have transformed into a winning machine, recording a record of 27 wins, 11 draws and just 8 defeats under the Welsh manager.

Having worked in the youth teams of Wrexham, Liverpool and England, he knows how to work with young talent and it shows – twenty-one year old striker Brennan Johnson could tell a story, scoring 18 goals and adding 10 assists last season. Visiting talents James Garner and Djed Spence also played some nice football under Cooper.

Cooper has mostly used a 3-4-1-2 formation at Nottingham so far, which we will probably see again this season.

Goalkeepers

Brice Samba, the team’s number one last year, has left for Lens and his place should be taken by Dean Henderson, who has arrived on loan from Manchester United.

He will be backed up by veteran Wayne Hennessey, who arrived as a free agent. In recent seasons he has been a number two at Crystal Palace and Burnley.

Defence

Nottingham had the second best defence in last season’s League 2, yet the defensive ranks have been strengthened considerably. Right now 4 of the 6 most expensive summer signings for the club are defenders.

French stopper Moussa Niakathé arrived from Mainz for €10 million and should settle into the starting lineup immediately. He will surely be complemented in the stopper position by newly appointed club captain and key player in the club’s journey to the Premier League, Joe Worrall.

Scott McKenna, who was voted player of the season in 2021/22, should not be missing from the three-man defence. However, experienced Steve Cook and young talent Giulian Biancone, who arrived for €10 million from Troyes, will also be ready to jump in.

Neco Williams, who is the 2nd most expensive signing with a price tag of €20 million, should be rampant on the right side of defence. If he gets along with his Wales national teammate Brennan Johnson, the right side of the Tricky Trees could be properly dangerous.

Midfielder Jack Colback won’t have to fill in on the left side this season as there is a signing for that position as well. From Huddersfield, who just beat Nottingham in the final of the League Two play-offs, comes Harry Toffolo, who will be looking to build on last year’s successful season (6+8).

His competition will be Omar Richards, who came from Bayern Munich, but injuries will keep him out until October.

Backup

Nottingham native Ryan Yates, who is not one of the most technically gifted players in the squad, will miss the start of the season due to injury, but he is an important part of Cooper’s team.

The aforementioned Colback, who already has Premier League experience, or another Huddersfield signing, Lewis O’Brien, will have to catch him. The latter was one of the Championship’s best midfielders last season and will want to prove he is ready for the top flight.

Attack

The attack should be one of the best Nottingham have to offer this season. For the biggest transfer fee in the club’s history of €20.5m, the club brought in striker Taiwo Awoniyi, the author of 15 Bundesliga goals last season.

Along with him, the offensive will be provided by last season’s comet Brennan Johnson and Jesse Lingard, who came as a free agent. Forest fans will be hoping that he will do well during his engagement at the City Ground, similar to his stint at West Ham when he scored 9 goals and assisted 4 in 16 games.

The big advantage with both Johnson and Lingard is their versatility, being able to play on both wings, under the top and possibly on the tip.

Ideal lineup

Henderson
Worrall – Niakhate – McKenna
Williams – Yates – O’Brien – Toffolo
Johnson – Awoniyi – Lingard

Ranking tip:: 18th place

Source: Transfermarkt, The Athletic