Nottingham Forest’s best players have already been linked with a summer transfer
Brian Dick Reach Football Correspondent
15:24, 30 Mar 2026
Stuart Pearce says Forest must keep Elliot Anderson and Morgan Gibbs-White(Image: 2025 The FA)
Stuart Pearce warns Nottingham Forest must learn the hard transfer lesson administered last summer.
The former Reds manager and defender has told Evangelos Marinakis he must not cash-in on the club’s crown jewels like Elliot Anderson and Morgan Gibbs-White – knowing what they now know about life after Anthony Elanga.
Forest went into last summer on the crest of a wave, having finished seventh and qualified for their first European competition in three decades.
However, they sold Elanga to Newcastle United and while they did bring in replacements like Omari Hutchinson and Dan Ndoye, they have provided two goals and six Premier League assists between them.
Elanga managed six and 11 on his own last term – and Pearce says Forest should consider that when it comes to interest in – and possibly selling – Anderson and Gibbs-White this summer.
“The answer to that question is no. Why would you? They had a really good season last year and they’ve lost Chris Wood, so they’ve lost some goals from the team,” he told Betway.
“But they sold [Anthony] Elanga, who has not been the same player at Newcastle that he was at Forest – and it’s cost them, I think.
JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! Get all the Nottingham Forest latest via our Facebook page
“Forest has gone from being a team in the top half of the league to a team flirting with relegation. I think the loss of Elanga has been bigger, and obviously Chris Wood as well, has been a bigger stumbling block than they thought it actually might be.
“That would send a message out, you hang on to your better players and don’t let them go. If they drop out this division, that might be a different matter altogether. The players themselves might dictate that.
“But if you stay in the division, you need to hang on to your best players without a doubt. Unless you can really go into the transfer market and for one leaving, you can get two that are just as good.”
Pearce doesn’t think Forest have achieved that when it came to adding striker depth. Igor Jesus arrived from Botafogo for a reported £10m and while he has impressed with his industry and done well in the Europa League, he has scored only three in 30 top flight games.
Pearce does not think he is a good enough replacement for Wood. “No, I don’t think so. He’s got a bit to do. You’ve got to bear in mind as well that Chris Wood probably had the best season he’s ever had in his career. He was absolutely incredible. Whether it was the style of play that suited him really well, I don’t know.
“But it’s not as if Chris Wood has been a 20 goals a season for ten seasons type of centre forward. He had a spike last year on his goal scoring performance, which was brilliant for the club. But I think you’ve got to make sure that you’ve got someone, at Forest’s level, that you can rely on getting 15 Premier League goals a season.”
Do you agree with Pearce? Have your say