Nottingham Forest have one of the most secure managers in the Premier League at this moment in time, but the same can’t be said about Manchester United after the sacking of Erik ten Hag.
Nuno Espirito Santo has masterminded a push from Nottingham Forest that very few saw coming, with an outside chance of European football at the City Ground.
The Reds have the second-best defence in the Premier League still, which is a credit to the way Nuno has set his side up and really formed partnerships.
It’s the recruitment in the summer that has really transformed Forest due to a couple of additions. The likes of Elliot Anderson and Nikola Milenkovic have already proved fruitful.
January provides another opportunity for Forest to strengthen, though it does also give other clubs the opportunity to take a run at some of the current stars at the City Ground.
Erik ten Hag sacked as Manchester United boss
Erik ten Hag has been relieved of his duties as Manchester United boss after defeat at the hands of West Ham United at the weekend.
The Red Devils currently find themselves in 14th position in the Premier League, five points behind Nottingham Forest.
A number of candidates have already been eyed up, including Graham Potter, Ruben Amorim, Marco Silva, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Thomas Frank.
The Erik ten Hag mistake that could make Nottingham Forest tens of millions
Anthony Elanga left Manchester United to join Forest in a £15m deal last summer.
He made 55 first-team appearances for the Red Devils. But, in his final season at the club, under Erik ten Hag, he made just five Premier League starts. Opting for Antony instead of Elanga proved to be a huge mistake, especially given the difference in trajectory from the two players since.
This led to Elanga seeking a new challenge, stating that the reason he wanted to leave was to play more.
Interestingly, Elanga was the subject of a £50 million offer from Newcastle United in the summer, though it ended up being rejected late on.
You can’t rule out a future move for Elanga either with Newcastle still interested, though it does state that a move is unlikely in January due to PSR.
Of course, selling Anthony Elanga isn’t a necessity by any means as he’s been a vital member at Nottingham Forest, and we definitely don’t want to see him leave with plenty of potential to be unlocked.
He’s not quite hit the heights yet this season, but he was much improved on Friday.
But there will be price targets that are too good to turn down.
Considering he joined for just £15 million and the Reds have already received a £50 million bid, there’s the potential to seriously profit in the future.
Brennan Johnson is the perfect example of that, coming all the way through the ranks at the Nigel Doughty academy, before Evangelos Marinakis decided to take the £47.5 million.
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