Nottingham Forest have made some questionable decisions in the transfer market after promotion back to the Premier League in 2022.
Signings of players such as Jonjo Shelvey and Omar Richards just simply haven’t worked out, with the latter spending the 2024/25 campaign on loan at sister club Rio Ave in Portugal.
As for Shelvey, he arrived from Newcastle United during the January window in 2023, only making eight appearances before being shipped out to Turkey after an alleged bust-up with then-boss Steve Cooper.
Such additions undoubtedly contributed to the club’s failure to meet the PSR limit for the previous financial year, with the Reds being hit with a four-point deduction last season.
However, there’s also another player who has failed to make an impact at the City Ground, with his big-money transfer now looking like a huge waste of money.
Emmanuel Dennis’ time at Nottingham Forest
After joining the club in a £20m deal from Watford back in the summer of 2022, striker Emmanuel Dennis arrived in the East Midlands with a lot of hype after scoring ten goals in the previous season with the Hornets.
However, his move to Forest has been nothing short of a disaster, with the Nigerian only making 25 appearances since his move two years ago.
As a result of his dismal form on Trentside, he spent last season on two separate loans at Istanbul Basaksehir, before rejoining former side Watford for the second half of the campaign.
Despite scoring four goals in the Championship, it wasn’t enough to force himself back into Nuno Espírito Santo’s side for the ongoing campaign – failing to make a single matchday appearance in any of the first three outings.
However, despite his recent failings at Forest, he’s still valued higher than one talent who once looked destined for big things at City Ground.
Emmanuel Dennis’ market value in 2024
Arvin Appiah came through the club’s academy before making his first-team debut as an 85th-minute substitute in the Carabao Cup defeat to Burton Albion back in 2018.
The youngster managed to get himself on the scoresheet, but it wasn’t enough to turn the game around – although his impact did result in numerous first appearances during the 2018/19 season.
Appiah ended up making six Championship appearances that season, before a shock £8m transfer to Spanish side Almeria that summer.
1. Brennan Johnson
£47.5m
2. Moussa Niakhate
£27m
3. Odysseas Vlachodimos
£19.9m
4. Orel Mangala
£19.7m
5. Britt Assombalonga
£15m
6. Matty Cash
£14m
7. Oliver Burke
£13.7m
8. Stan Collymore
£11m
9. Arvin Appiah
£8m
10. Michail Antonio
£7m
Whilst it may have been an unpopular decision at the time, he’s failed to kick on in his career, only scoring five goals in the last five years – featuring for six different sides in the process.
The now 23-year-old, who’s plying his trade for Nacional in Portugal, is only valued at £337k as per Transfermarkt, with Dennis still worth £3.5m despite his dismal spell in the Premier League.
On reflection, selling Appiah was a great decision by the club’s hierarchy, with his career failing to follow the trajectory that he was once on during his time at the City Ground.
Given his lack of impact, the club need to brutally part ways with Dennis, to avoid losing as much of the £20m fee as possible, with his time on Trentside nothing short of a disaster.
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