Nottingham Forest are well represented at this year’s World Cup, with Reds stars past and present showing what they can do on the biggest stage of all.
Six players currently contracted to the club are on duty for their respective nations, albeit Scotland goalkeeper Angus Gunn is due to depart the City Ground as a free agent at the end of this month. Elliot Anderson (England), Ibrahim Sangare (Ivory Coast), Dan Ndoye (Switzerland), and Chris Wood and Tyler Bindon (New Zealand) are the other players hoping to go far in the competition.
Meanwhile, several ex-Forest players are also involved across the Atlantic. The likes of Danilo (Brazil), Anthony Elanga (Sweden) and Moussa Niakhate (Senegal) are part of their national squads.
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But could the World Cup also be a hunting ground for future Reds stars? According to AI humanizing tool GoHumanize, Forest should cast an eye over one player in particular as they weigh up possible summer transfer business.
Cape Verde left-winger Helio Varela has been identified as a good fit for Vitor Pereira’s side. The 24-year-old currently plays for Maccabi Tel Aviv.
The study by GoHumanize has looked at the biggest talent at the World Cup. The research has been conducted in an effort to find the player who, like Colombia’s James Rodriguez in 2014, could become a global superstar with a breakthrough tournament.
Nineteen of the top young players have been identified. Using an AI tool, those players have been matched with Premier League clubs who could benefit from snapping them up.
Varela was valued at £3 million before the start of the tournament and it is estimated a good World Cup would add £10m to his price tag. An explanation of why he would be a suitable target for the Reds notes: “Raw, lightning-fast transitional carrier customised for counter-heavy tactics at the City Ground.”
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Varela was an unused substitute when Cape Verde pulled off the shock of the tournament so far by holding European champions Spain to a 0-0 draw in their opening game. His next opportunity for minutes will be against Uruguay on Sunday.
The GoHumanize study aggregated raw performance data from the 2024/25 and 2025/26 domestic and continental club seasons, alongside international data from the past 24 months covering World Cup Qualifiers and continental tournaments.
Forest made strengthening out wide a priority 12 months ago, bringing in Ndoye, Omari Hutchinson and Dilane Bakwa. The trio struggled to make an impact Trentside, while Callum Hudson-Odoi also did not have his best campaign.
Reds head coach Pereira has said only minimal changes to his squad should be required this summer. He wants to keep the core of the dressing room together and supplement it with a few key additions for the 2026/27 Premier League campaign.
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