Nottingham Forest face Chelsea on the final day of the Premier League season, knowing they’ll have to win to secure Champions League football.
Nottingham Forest currently reside in seventh, but a victory against Chelsea could move them back into the top five, depending on other results.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 3 |  Man CityManchester City | 37 | 20 | 8 | 9 | 70 | 44 | 26 | 68 |
| 4 |  NewcastleNewcastle | 37 | 20 | 6 | 11 | 68 | 46 | 22 | 66 |
| 5 |  ChelseaChelsea | 37 | 19 | 9 | 9 | 63 | 43 | 20 | 66 |
| 6 |  Aston VillaAston Villa | 37 | 19 | 9 | 9 | 58 | 49 | 9 | 66 |
| 7 |  Nottm ForestNottingham Forest | 37 | 19 | 8 | 10 | 58 | 45 | 13 | 65 |
| 8 |  BrightonBrighton | 37 | 15 | 13 | 9 | 62 | 58 | 4 | 58 |
| 9 |  BrentfordBrentford | 37 | 16 | 7 | 14 | 65 | 56 | 9 | 55 |
| 10 |  FulhamFulham | 37 | 15 | 9 | 13 | 54 | 52 | 2 | 54 |
Chelsea head into the game coming off the back of four wins in five, so they are the form team, but the City Ground will certainly provide Forest with an advantage in that regard.
Forest’s home crowd will be bang up for the game, and it’s promised to be a vociferous atmosphere on the banks of the River Trent.
If they do manage to win and secure Champions League football, the possibilities in the transfer market will be extremely exciting.
Forest are already eyeing Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap, who is thought to have a £30m relegation release clause.
Monaco’s highly-rated winger Maghnes Akliouche is also being linked to the City Ground, with Liverpool showing an interest, too.
A centre-back should be on Nuno Espirito Santo’s wishlist, too, and with that said, there’s an opportunity to sign one who’s been capped by England.
Nottingham Forest given chance to sign Taylor Harwood-Bellis
Southampton have been relegated from the Premier League and will have to offload some of their prized assets to budget for the Championship.
According to talkSPORT, Taylor Harwood-Bellis is almost certain to leave the south coasters ahead of the World Cup next summer.
That provides Nottingham Forest with an opportunity to land his signature for a decent fee, likely around the £20m mark.
Harwood-Bellis, who has been capped by the Three Lions, would fit the profile Forest are after, as he’s still learning his trade with plenty of room to develop into a top-end Premier League star.
Pep Guardiola, who had him at Manchester City, waxed lyrical about him last October after they played Southampton.
“I’m happy that he’s settling in the Premier League,” Guardiola explained. “He’s an incredible threat for Southampton from set pieces and a composer when they have the ball because the manager insists the way they have to play, they have to be close, to move differently.”
Forest were interested in Harwood-Bellis in 2023
Interestingly, Forest looked at signing Harwood-Bellis in 2023, just before he joined Southampton on loan in the Championship.
Clearly, the 23-year-old has been on Forest’s radar for a while, so it wouldn’t at all be surprising if they reignite that interest this summer.
Espirito Santo will need a much bigger squad next term, with European football and a congested fixture list on the horizon.
Harwood-Bellis is expected to have suitors from quite a few Premier League clubs, so it won’t be a straightforward deal to do.
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