Latest Nottingham Forest news as Steve Cooper’s Reds prepare for 2023/24 Premier League season

Nottingham Forest’s preparations for the new season will take a significant step forward this week as they face their first friendly of the summer.

The Reds return to action with a trip to Meadow Lane to face Notts County on Saturday, with all eyes firmly on the start of the 2023/24 Premier League campaign. There is little more than a month to go before Steve Cooper’s side head to Arsenal for their opening fixture

Meanwhile, it continues to be quiet on the transfer front, although activity is expected to begin ramping up. Ahead of the meeting with the Magpies, here’s our round-up of the latest goings-on Trentside.

Awoniyi’s aim

After reaching double-figures in Premier League goals last term, hopes are high that Taiwo Awoniyi – hopefully with better luck on the injury front – can notch an even better tally this time around. The front man came on leaps and bounds over the course of his first year at the City Ground and signed off for the summer with a run of six goals in four games.

woniyi knows strikers are judged on goals. But equally important for the 25-year-old is knowing he has given his all on the pitch, whether or not that also includes finding the back of the net. That mentality has helped him during some tough times in previous years.

“For me, as a player, the best you can do for yourself is to keep putting in every effort because the effort will not be in vain,” he told Soccernet. “And in the end, if it doesn’t go your way, you can say, ‘Yes, I did my best’, which is what I have always kept in my heart.

“Sometimes, things have not been going my way for the past few years, but even in those times, everyone in the club knows that he has always been doing his best. Many things happen in football, but it is not open to the outside world because this game has many things behind the scenes. But the truth about football and the truth about what I say to myself is: ‘Just give it your best, let everyone decide what will happen, whether you are good, whether you are not, just give it your best, and that is the best thing you can do for yourself.’

“Don’t put yourself in a position you will regret, and that is it for me, just giving everything. And for Nottingham Forest, it is the same thing I would do in the upcoming Premier League season