Nottingham Forest
Gibbs-White Drives Forest to 3-1 Opening Win
Gibbs-White starred as Forest beat Brentford 3-1, sealed a new three-year deal and milestone assist.
Nottingham Forest began their Premier League campaign with a 3-1 victory over Brentford at the City Ground, and it was captain Morgan Gibbs-White who provided the defining moments.
The midfielder had been the subject of summer transfer speculation involving Tottenham and Manchester City, but any uncertainty ended when owner Evangelos Marinakis rewarded him with a new three-year deal. Given his performance, Forest will welcome that decision.
Handed the armband by Nuno Espírito Santo, Gibbs-White dictated the match with creativity, energy and leadership. He supplied the pinpoint cross for Dan Ndoye’s diving header, Forest’s second of the afternoon and the Swiss winger’s first goal on his league debut.
That assist took Gibbs-White’s Premier League tally for Forest to 27, drawing him level with Ian Woan as the club’s joint-highest provider in the competition. It is another milestone for a player who has quickly become central to this Forest side.
Summer signings Dan Ndoye, Omari Hutchinson and James McAtee add fresh options and excitement, but many supporters will view securing Gibbs-White’s future as the most important piece of business. His commitment gives Forest a clear focal point both on and off the pitch as the club looks to build on last season’s progress.
Forest narrowly missed out on a Champions League place last term, finishing a point short in seventh. With Europa League football now confirmed, following Crystal Palace’s punishment for breaching multi-club ownership rules, and Gibbs-White leading the charge, confidence is rising that this campaign could be another significant one for the club at the City Ground.
Bayern Munich
Bayern Join a Packed Race for Nottingham Forest Midfielder Elliot Anderson
Bayern step up for Elliot Anderson as Man City, Man Utd and others pursue midfield options in 2026 .
Bayern Munich are reportedly intensifying interest in Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson, entering a transfer picture already crowded with top clubs. The German side are said to be “stepping up” their plans to sign Anderson, who could be tempted by the prospect of joining up with international teammate Harry Kane.
Last summer was the year of the striker. Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitiké, Viktor Gyökeres, Benjamin Šeško, João Pedro, Liam Delap … all the big teams wanted a new goalscorer and bid against themselves to try find them. Now, in 2026, the narrative has turned to midfielders and Anderson sits near the top of multiple wish lists.
Manchester United and Manchester City are both named among the interested parties, alongside Liverpool, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur. The article adds that Arsenal, Newcastle United, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain could also be drawn into the market depending on how the window develops.
That overlap matters because many clubs are watching the same targets. There is, however, only one Anderson. Clubs that see the 23-year-old as their dream pick-up will need alternatives if he moves elsewhere this summer.
Potential replacements already being considered include Adam Wharton of Crystal Palace, while the agent of Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali has done an excellent job of injecting his client into the market . Magpies teammate Bruno Guimarães has also been tipped for a costly exit. Brighton & Hove Albion’s Carlos Baleba still has plenty of admirers despite a failed approach from United last summer, and Bournemouth’s Tyler Adams and Wolverhampton Wanderers’ João Gomes are both named as players likely to move on this year.
As the window unfolds, clubs facing the prospect of missing out on Anderson will be forced to broaden their lists. For now, the race to sign him looks set to be a defining early storyline of the 2026 transfer window.
Leeds United
Where Tottenham, Leeds, West Ham and Nottingham Forest Stand as Fixture Lists Bite
Four teams remain locked in a relegation fight; Spurs, Leeds, West Ham and Forest face fixtures and.
Draws all around mean it’s as you were in the fight for Premier League survival, although two clubs will be particularly content with their weekend’s work. West Ham once again fought admirably to secure a result against the title-chasing Manchester City, while Tottenham Hotspur reminded their supporters what the concept of hope feels like.
Tottenham sit on 30 points, Leeds on 32, Nottingham Forest on 29 and West Ham on 29. For Spurs, momentum from a point at Liverpool arrives ahead of a crucial run. Nottingham Forest’s visit to north London next Sunday is a bona fide relegation six-pointer. The second leg of Spurs’ Champions League round of 16 tie with Atlético Madrid arrives before Forest’s visit, but their main goal on Wednesday night, given that they’re 5–2 down, must be ensuring that everyone escapes the contest unscathed. They were without as many as 13 players at Anfield.
Spurs begin April away at Sunderland. Brighton & Hove Albion visit N17 the following week before Tudor’s men take on resurgent bottom dwellers Wolverhampton Wanderers. May begins with a trip to Villa Park.
Leeds, so improved since Christmas, have been dragged back into the dogfight by a five-game winless run in the top flight. They are at home to surprise European hopefuls Brentford next Saturday night. Upcoming home games against Wolves and Burnley present Daniel Farke’s side with a great opportunity to secure six points. Leeds also travel to Manchester United and mid-table Bournemouth in April.
West Ham will take confidence from their recent showing against Manchester City and next head to Aston Villa. Nottingham Forest travel to Tottenham and will see that match as a timely chance to recover points in the battle to avoid the drop.
The scrap looks set to run to the wire, with four teams scrapping to avoid one fatal position. Richarlison, Everton’s savior four years ago, isn’t going to let the Lilywhites succumb to a humiliating relegation, their first in almost 50 years.
Analytics & Stats
Opta Supercomputer: Tight Premier League Relegation Picture After Tottenham Defeat
Opta’s model predicts a close relegation battle: Leeds, Tottenham, Forest and West Ham all involved
The relegation battle in the 2025/26 Premier League tightened significantly after Tottenham Hotspur’s 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace. Positive results for West Ham United (a 1-0 win over Fulham) and Nottingham Forest (a 2-2 draw at Manchester City) left both clubs level on 28 points and intensified the fight at the bottom.
Leeds United remain precarious. Daniel Farke’s side sit 15th, just three points clear of the current relegation group, making this a contest that could shift quickly.
Opta’s supercomputer produces the following projection for the bottom six:
– Leeds: current 31 points, expected 42.09, relegation chance 8.09%
– Tottenham: current 29 points, expected 40.04, relegation chance 16.10%
– Nottingham Forest: current 28 points, expected 39.08, relegation chance 26.88%
– West Ham: current 28 points, expected 37.49, relegation chance 49.53%
– Burnley: current 19 points, expected 27.07, relegation chance 99.36%
– Wolves: current 16 points, expected 24.62, relegation chance 99.92%
Wolverhampton Wanderers have improved form after a draw with Arsenal and successive wins over Aston Villa and Liverpool, but the supercomputer underlines that their season was effectively over months ago, with the club not recording a victory until the 20th game. Burnley sit 10 points adrift; Opta’s model projects only eight more points for the Clarets and expects their return to the Championship to be confirmed well before the final day.
The model largely maintains the current ordering and gives West Ham the highest chance of relegation among the quartet fighting to avoid the drop into the second tier. Forest are forecast to finish two points clear of the relegation places, with Tottenham projected to reach 40.04 points and stand as the final side to reach the 40-point threshold. Opta assigns a 16.10% chance of relegation to Igor Tudor’s side, a near doubling of their previous prediction before Thursday’s defeat. The fixture between Tottenham and Forest on March 22 now carries clear significance for both clubs.
