‘Money to burn’ - £116m Elliot Anderson sale presents Nottingham Forest poser as Reds legend Des Walker discusses ‘fresh blood’ & the importance of fanatical support

Forest have made a healthy profit on Newcastle academy graduate Anderson, having signed him for £35m ($47m) in the summer of 2024. Two seasons on Trentside saw the hard-working 23-year-old top Premier League ball recovery charts while becoming a key part of England’s plans at the 2026 World Cup.

He has departed Nottingham with plenty of well wishes, with Forest now in a position where they can reinvest a history-making fee for a British player and strengthen the collective ranks. That will not, however, be straightforward as rivals across Europe are now fully aware of how much cash the Reds now have at their disposal.

Asking prices will be bumped up accordingly, with new boss Oliver Glasner being charged with the task - alongside his board - of finding value in a congested and highly competitive market. Top targets - such as Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones and Tottenham star Lucas Bergvall - are said to have already been identified.

Forest icon Walker, speaking in association with ToonieBet, told GOAL when asked about investing when everyone knows how flush you are: “It’s about spending it wisely because everyone thinks that you've got money to burn. So far, over the last five years, we've bought a lot of players. But in that, we've bought some good ones. Some very good ones. So, you can't knock who's come to the club.

“The odd ones that don't work, so be it. That's the same as Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, they've all made mistakes and bought players that don't suit their team. The great Brian Clough bought a good few of them as well. So, every manager has got to take the risk and take the chances.

“We're going to need a bolster. I think it would be nice to get a nice big signing at the start of the season. The fans love it, it puts them in a positive realm. They've lost one of their best players. So, it would be nice to bring some fresh blood to try and hit the ground running when the season starts.

“I think we ended alright. So, invariably, if we can get a good start, the Premiership is about a good start. Because as soon as you have a bad start, you're looking over your shoulder and confidence goes, the fans go.”

Walker added on the importance of keeping a loyal and passionate group of supporters onside, as they have a crucial role to play while chasing down collective goals: “Forest is one of those clubs where, over the last 25-30 years, when the fans are behind the team, the team will always do well. The minute there's negativity, any negativity in the crowd, the team seems to drop down.

“It's funny, really, because we had the most miserable crowd in the world when we were playing. If you're not winning 2-3, they start booing you! Brian Cough teams, he only stood for players that had real high moral courage. Sometimes, I had thoughts of, ‘I don't think he's bothered if I'm good, just as long as I've got enough bottle to go and do what he wants me to do’. So, he started with that, his team. He wasn't bothered.

“You kind of ignored the crowd a little bit when they weren't with you. I always remember playing, I think it was QPR, we were 4-0 up. The last 10 minutes we were just keeping the ball. Our fans were booing because we didn't go and get a fifth. You think, ‘hold on here’. But, honestly, the European boys had set the standards. So, I suppose, we were trying to keep to their standards and then we set our own standards.

“I've noticed over the last 30 years that the crowd played the most important part. When we first came up and we stayed up, arguably, we were in the bottom two teams in the league, in terms of ability. But, we had the best fans and our fans kept us up single-handedly.

“They sang when we sometimes had 25% possession at home. And they were singing like we were 3-0 up. We nicked the odd draw. We nicked one from Man City one time. And I thought to myself, ‘them fans are unbelievable’.

“So, hopefully, if you can buy a nice signing at the start and that gives the fans a positive, they start being positive for the team rather than thinking, ‘oh, we've lost a player and da-da-da’. And it's like a snowball effect. We start with two, three, four good results and we'll go from there. If we start well, we'll go from there.”

Forest, who reached the Europa League semi-finals after returning to continental competition for the first time in 30 years, finished 16th last season. Vitor Pereira guided them over the top-flight survival line, but has passed managerial reins on to ex-Crystal Palace boss Glasner.

The Austrian's first competitive game at the helm will be a 2026-27 campaign opener at home to Leeds on August 22. The plan is to put the Anderson money to good use and welcome fresh faces on board before a packed City Ground finds its voice once more.