Nottinghamshire

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Nottingham Forest won their second successive pre-season fixture as they eased to a 3-0 victory over Championship side Blackburn Rovers in Portugal.

Igor Jesus put Forest ahead before the half-time interval, firing into the roof of the net.

Arnaud Kalimuendo took just three minutes to increase Forest's lead after the break and Taiwo Awoniyi made sure of the victory, slotting into the bottom corner.

Oliver Glasner's side will complete more fixtures as part of the pre-season training camp in the Algarve. They are due to play a behind-closed-doors game against Vitoria S.C. before the Reds take on Portuguese giants Sporting CP on Friday 31 July.

After the match, Glasner spoke to Forest TV, external and said: "It was a very good test again. Credit to the players for their work rate, and we scored some nice goals. It's just pre-season, but winning 3-0 against a Championship side is always positive.

"We could see plenty of positive aspects in the game and also what we will work on in the next couple of days and weeks.

"Every win and clean sheet helps us in getting more and more confidence.

"We have plenty of attacking players on the pitch and we want them to arrive in dangerous areas. We created many chances and scored three nice goals, we're encouraging our strikers to show up in these areas and today it worked."

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Elliot Anderson has posted an emotional goodbye to Nottingham Forest as he prepares to join Manchester City.

Earlier in July, City confirmed an agreement has been reached to sign Anderson, stating the "formalities of the move will be finalised upon his return to England" after the World Cup. BBC Sport reported a deal had been put in place on 25 June.

The 23-year-old made 92 appearances across two seasons at Forest after joining from boyhood club Newcastle in 2024, helping them qualify for Europe in 2024-25 and reach the Europa League semi-finals the following year.

The goodbye message posted by Anderson on social media read: "Forest family,

"Firstly I am so grateful for the love and support you have shown me over the last 2 years especially towards the end of this season. From the minute I walked through the door I fell in love with this club.

"I want to thank Mr Marinakas, the staff and all players for welcoming me and making my time here so enjoyable, this club gave me the opportunity to grow as a player and a person.

"Bringing the club European football again after 29 years is what all of you fans deserved and to be a helping hand in that is so special.

"Nottingham forest will always have a special place in my heart. Thank you for all the unforgettable memories."

Now the dust has settled on the 2026 World Cup, you can officially review your Predictor results for the tournament.

If you played more than four rounds, BBC Sport has done a deep dive into your predictions, tournament performance and compared you to other players.

Don't worry, though, Predictor isn't stopping at international tournaments! Pre-season has kicked off and there are plenty of friendlies and European qualifiers to keep us occupied before the new season gets under way.

So how do you fancy your chances of correctly predicting the scores for our six selected matches every week?

BBC Sport has launched a new weekly Predictor game to cover the 2026-27 season, allowing users to pick what they think will be the result from six fixtures from across the leagues.

There will usually be a Friday deadline and the game will also feature streaks, so make sure to build it into your weekly football habits.

Lock in your first round of predictions before Friday, 24 July here

If you're wondering how to play, here are a few easy steps:

• Click on the link above to take you to the selections page.

• For every match, you either choose a winning team or select a draw - once your prediction has been submitted you won't be able to change it, so be sure to pick carefully.

• Then wait for the results to roll in to see how you have done.

• Share your results with your friends and family.

• Every consecutive round you play adds one to your streak, but if you miss a round then your streak will reset to zero.

Nottingham Forest are in advanced talks to sign Sporting CP and Ivory Coast defender Ousmane Diomande, 22. (Fabrizio Romano), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Mohamed Moallim
BBC Sport Journalist

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The Premier League's financial landscape has changed dramatically over the past decade. Since 2016 total summer transfer spending has risen from £1.16bn to a record £3.19bn in 2025 – an increase of almost 175%.

On the surface, that suggests transfer figures are continuing to accelerate. Headline fees, though, tell only part of the story.

Research by Kieran Maguire and colleagues at the University of Liverpool suggests some of the Premier League's earlier record signings represented even greater investments when measured against clubs' buying power at the time.

Using Premier League broadcasting revenues as an index, Alan Shearer's £15m move from Blackburn Rovers to Newcastle United in 1996 remains the league's biggest transfer relative to clubs' spending power. Rio Ferdinand's £29.1m move to Manchester United in 2002 and Juan Sebastian Veron's £28.1m arrival at Old Trafford in 2001 also rank above any of this summer's blockbuster deals.

The same model suggests Trevor Francis' £1m move from Birmingham City to Forest in 1979 – English football's first £1m transfer – would equate to about £173m in today's market.

That does not mean the fees paid for Morgan Rogers, Elliot Anderson and Sandro Tonali were modest. Rather, it reflects how dramatically Premier League revenues have grown, allowing clubs to spend sums that would once have been unimaginable.

When Jack Grealish became Britain's first £100m footballer when joining City from Villa in 2021, the transfer marked another turning point in the evolution of the market.

Only five years later, nine-figure deals are no longer viewed as extraordinary. They have become a familiar feature of Premier League transfer windows.

The next milestone may not be far away.

While no Premier League club has yet paid £200m for a player, football's financial ceiling continues to rise and the first transfer of that magnitude no longer feels beyond the realms of possibility.

• Read more on transfer fee evolution

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We asked you to pick one player you would like to move on this summer and one realistic target you want Nottingham Forest to bring in before the transfer window shuts.

Here are some of your suggestions:

Matt: In: Lucas Bergvall - we need a midfielder with Premier League experience to replace Anderson. Out: Morato - always has a mistake in him and if we are to compete at the higher end of the table, we need to remove mistakes from our game.

Kris: One out - Morato. He's often found wanting and prone to costly errors. One in - Diomande from Sporting would be a more than adequate replacement, and he's a player Glasner has shown interest in previously.

Carl: Morato has to go. No skill and lack of flair. Let's bring Danilo back from Brazil instead.

Ken: Bit left-field but, if he would lower his wage demands, what about Rashford? We would get him for £30m, he can play anywhere across the front and wing positions. Bags of Premier League experience, a proven goalscorer and actually would benefit from regular first-team football.

Andrew: I'd like to see Morato moved on and would love to see Elanga back in the Garibaldi.

Mark: We should move on Morato, who has been a real liability at the back. If I had my choice, I would seek to bring in either Alex Scott or James Garner to replace Anderson.

Scott: McAtee has GOT to go. In Saturday's game at Meadow Lane, he looked his usual indolent self and, even if he performs consistently brilliantly in training, he never seems to carry that into a competitive game. With Ortega gone - sadly - and Victor looking shaky at best, we desperately need cover for Sels. Gregor Kobel...?

Mossy: It might be time to finally let Omar Richards leave - not the best start at Forest with injury and seemed not part of any coach's plans. We desperately need a striker, one with a point to prove, and I'd go for Delap. Not without risk but, if successful, a good resale price.

League One new boys Notts County are in pole position to sign Southend midfielder Leon Chambers-Parillon, 24, with Mansfield and Chesterfield also in the hunt. (Pete O'Rourke, external)

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Tuesday's gossip column here.