Newcastle have renewed their interested in Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White, 24. (Football Insider, external)
Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column
Nick Mashiter
Senior football news reporter
Nottingham Forest will introduce safe standing to the City Ground from next season.
The club have confirmed work will start this summer and is due to be completed ahead of the start the 2024-25 campaign.
The plans will accommodate around 2,300 safe standing spaces for home fans in the Upper Bridgford Stand and Lower Bridgford Stand while there will also be spaces allocated for away supporters.
Chairman Tom Cartledge said: "By embracing safe standing, the club aims to not only to tackle the issue of persistent standing which has presented the club with serious safety concerns in recent years, but also to enhance the stadium environment to celebrate the passionate support and dedication of our fans.
"This initiative underscores our dedication to providing the best possible match day experience for our fans whilst prioritising their safety and comfort. Safe standing represents an exciting development for Nottingham Forest, and we look forward to its introduction next season."
In 2022, the government confirmed safe standing could be introduced in the Premier League and Championship from the start of the 2022-23 season.
Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Cardiff City had taken part in a pilot study during the second half of the 2021-22 campaign.
Nick Mashiter
Senior football news reporter
The next 10 days will be some of the most important in Nottingham Forest’s recent history but Nuno Espirito Santo’s side still have the chance to write their own future.
The club’s appeal against their four-point deduction for breaking profit and sustainability rules will take place next week, in the aftermath of Sunday’s vital showdown at Everton.
Just a point separates the sides, who are scrapping just above the Premier League’s relegation zone, and, along with court appearances, the game will help determine their survival fates.
Nuno described the situation at the bottom of the Premier League as a “mess” although the league has no control over the appeal dates – including Everton’s after they launched their second one over a two-point penalty this week - as they are in hands of independent commissions.
But regardless of the off-field issues both sides have the opportunity to put some daylight between them and the bottom three.
Everton’s goal difference took a hammering with Monday’s 6-0 defeat at Chelsea, leaving them level on -16 with Forest to further harm their hopes and boost their rivals’, including Luton.
One defeat in five for Nuno’s side, although three of those have been draws, shows there is plenty of fight left in his team.
They also travel to doomed Sheffield United and fellow strugglers Burnley in the final five games – along with the daunting visits of Manchester City and Chelsea.
Forest have a fine chance to save themselves the traditional way – by winning games - notwithstanding what happens in the courts.
Pat Riddell
Fan writer
It is obvious that Morgan Gibbs-White has relished the opportunity to play in his favoured number 10 position. With five Premier League goals and seven assists this season, the 24-year-old is intrinsic to Nottingham Forest's style of play.
While Steve Cooper was trying to evolve the Reds' formation and tactics, with Gibbs-White on the right of a 4-3-3 line-up - not an unfamiliar position for a similar player at one of the league's top clubs - the return to 4-2-3-1 under Nuno Espirito Santo has allowed the mercurial midfielder to be at the heart of everything Forest do.
Saturday's goal against his former club Wolves, as well as involvement in the second, alongside recent equally impressive performances prove not only his importance to the team but also why he is being linked to the likes of Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur.
Forest fans, of course, will very reluctantly depart with one of the most talented players to grace the City Ground this century. Talk of an England call-up might be premature but, as he did against Fulham recently, Trentside has not seen many in recent years with the ability to transform a game through sheer will, determination and talent.
Avoiding relegation will clearly avert disaster on many fronts, but falling foul of PSR again could be as problematic. If Forest are forced to sell at some point, there is no fan anywhere who wants that player to be Gibbs-White.
Pat Riddell can be found at The Famous Club, external
We asked for your thoughts on Nottingham Forest's 2-2 draw with Wolves on Saturday.
Here are some of your answers:
Nottingham Forest fans
Jack: Forest played all the best football but conceded a very soft opener then another set piece. Frustrating not to win but encouraged by how good we look on the ball.
Kris: I don’t like to single players out, but it’s impossible not to mention just how poor Yates is. A fan favourite as a home grown player, but not Premier League standard by a long way. It’s time he moved on, wherever we finish the season. On this showing, with more points dropped from a winning position, it’s increasingly looking like the Championship.
Luke: Yet another example of not getting the points we deserve from a game, the story of our season and the reason why we’re 17th. It’s easy to once again say “if we play like that again we’ll be fine” but this is the business end of the season and we need wins.
Wolves fans
Mike: Scrappy game, lit up by the Cunha solo goal. Wolves showed more up front than in recent games. It was good to see Hwang back for 30 minutes, when he and Cunha are back up to speed we should be far more threatening in an attacking sense. Good to see VAR get a decision right!
Jason: Solid performance today. We are missing the attacking drive of Pedro Neto and the other attacking options but overall benefitted from Cunha's return. A decent performance from a talented but thin and injury-hit squad. Well done Wolves.
Andy: Considering our injury list and players not fully fit I think we did well at the City Ground. Not an easy place to go, especially as Forest need the points to avoid relegation. Gary O'Neil should be pleased with this performance considering the circumstances.
Gary Lineker introduces highlights and analysis from Saturday's six Premier League fixtures.
If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up on the action on BBC iPlayer.
Listen back to Saturday's BBC Radio 5 Live and 5 Sports Extra match commentary in full:
Bournemouth v Manchester United
Newcastle United have made 24-year-old Nottingham Forest attacking midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White one of their main summer transfer targets. (Mirror), external
Image source, Getty ImagesNottingham Forest’s appeal against their points deduction for breaking profit and sustainability rules will be held next week.
The club’s case to regain any of the four points they have been docked is due to start the week commencing April 22.
They appealed last month after being hit with a points penalty for breaching PSR by £34.5m, although any final decision is not expected straight away.
The appeal comes after Forest, who are a point above the relegation zone, go to Everton on Sunday with the Toffees just a point and a place ahead of them in the Premier League.
Everton were docked a further two points last week for a second PSR breach, having already been hit with a 10-point penalty, reduced to six on appeal, earlier in the season.
The Toffees are also expected to appeal their second sanction.
Any decisions must come by 24 May, five days after the final games of the season - although Forest's case is expected to be completed before then.
Boss Nuno Espirito Santo said last week the uncertainty at the bottom of the Premier League harms the competition's integrity.
"It can affect the integrity of the competition, no doubt about it," said Nuno, before Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Wolves.
"In terms of our approach, it will not change. Since we arrived there has always been the same objective, to win the games and realise that we have tough opponents and how we can do things.
"It's a mess because it's appeal after appeal after appeal and we don't know what exactly is going to happen.
"We have expectations, Everton have expectations and the other clubs don't know what is going to happen or for the next season. All these things must be solved as soon as possible.”
Matthew Howarth
BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty ImagesNottingham Forest are still waiting on an appeal date for their four-point profit and sustainability punishment, but Premier League safety remains firmly in their hands despite this failure to protect their second-half advantage at the City Ground.
Nuno Espirito Santo will have been frustrated with his team's defending in the build-up to Matheus Cunha's opener, with Andrew Omobamidele and Ryan Yates failing to stop the Brazilian entering the penalty area and firing past goalkeeper Matz Sels.
Goals from former Wolves playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White and Danilo deservedly put Forest ahead, but their lead lasted just five minutes as Cunha converted from point-blank range after Sels parried Toti Gomes' goal-bound header into the forward's path.
Forest have now dropped 50 Premier League points from winning positions since the start of last season, more than any other team.
Whether this was a point gained or two dropped will only become clear at the end of the campaign.
Nuno Espirito Santo spoketo BBC Match of the Day after Nottingham Forest's draw with Wolves: "The feeling that we have is that it's a missed opportunity to take three points. We were the better team today and should have won the game.
"We conceded easily. We did not allow many chances but the ones we did allow was bad defending.
"I think Matheus Cunha was the only player in the box and we had two players against him and we allowed him to turn. It is a bad approach.
On Forest's set piece record: "It is an ongoing situation this season and it is an issue so it is normal that it is spoken about. An easy situation to solve."
On coming back behind: "Offensively we were good. It is not easy to play against a back five, with little spaces. But we created enough chances to win the game. It's going to be a fight until the end and we are here to give it our all."
Morgan Gibbs-White became just the fourth Nottingham Forest player to register double figures for both goals (10) and assists (15) in the Premier League (after Ian Woan, Bryan Roy and Steve Stone).
Wolverhampton Wanderers are winless in their past four Premier League games (D2 L2) – their longest run across a season since a five-game spell between October and November 2022.
Wolves’ Matheus Cunha has been directly involved in nine goals across his past seven Premier League starts (six goals, three assists), as many as in his first 30 starts.
Danilo has been involved in a goal in both of his past two home Premier League appearances for Nottingham Forest, as many as in his past 12.
Matheus Cunha became just the fourth different player to score 10 or more goals for Wolves in the Premier League (after Raul Jimenez x2, Steven Fletcher x2 and Hee-Chan Hwang).
Matheus Cunha scored twice as Wolves denied Nottingham Forest a valuable victory in their fight for Premier League survival.
Brazilian forward Cunha, making his first start since suffering a hamstring injury in early February, opened the scoring at the City Ground with a magnificent solo strike midway through the first half.
Carrying the ball from inside his own half to the edge of the Forest penalty area, Cunha skipped between Andrew Omobamidele and Ryan Yates before rifling an unstoppable shot past goalkeeper Matz Sels and into the top corner.
Former Wolves playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White drew Forest level just six minutes later, heading home Giovanni Reyna's corner in first-half stoppage time before celebrating in front of the travelling fans.
Nuno Espirito Santo's home side swept ahead in the second half when Danilo powered a low shot beyond Jose Sa from close range, but Cunha bundled home a loose ball from a corner to salvage a point for Gary O'Neil's men.
Wolves remain just outside the top half of the table, while Forest stay perilously close to the relegation zone.
Were you at the match or did you follow it from elsewhere?
Forest fans - let us know your thoughts on the game here
Six matches make up Saturday's Premier League action, and we will bring you every moment.
BBC Radio 5 Live match commentaries:
Man City v Luton
Bournemouth v Man Utd
All times BST
Follow BBC Radio 5 Live commentaries and live text updates here
Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League matches again this season, against a variety of guests.
For this weekend's games, he takes on actor and Leyton Orient fan Daniel Mays.
Sutton's prediction: 1-1
This is big for Nottingham Forest, who need to bounce back from last week's defeat at Tottenham.
I always think Wolves are well organised, though, even if their results have dropped off a bit with only one win in their past five games.
Wolves boss Gary O'Neil is still fuming about having a late goal ruled out for offside in their defeat by West Ham but I felt it was the right decision.
Daniel's prediction: 2-2
This is going to be tight.
Former Nottingham Forest midfielder Steve Hodge believes facing Wolves at this stage of the season may help the Reds.
Forest who are only outside of the relegation zone on goal difference host the West Midlands side on Saturday. Speaking on BBC Radio Nottingham's Shut Up And Show More Football podcast, Hodge said this is the kind of game they would be hoping to get a result from.
"Wolves is always a standout game. That's not decrying Wolves at all, but they are mid-table and Fulham-ish. Forest beat Fulham in their last home game 3-1, and they'll be hoping for a similar performance on Saturday," he said.
"Wolves have got a bit more nastiness about them than Fulham. Fulham play pretty football but are a bit weak at the back. I think Wolves are a bit more streetwise.
"It won't be easy but if you looked at the league table you'd have probably picked Wolves or Fulham to play at this stage of the season at home when you're desperate to get a result."
After Saturday's game, Forest's next two home games are against title-chasing Manchester City and a Chelsea side who still have hopes of qualifying for Europe.
Hodge said: "That's why the Wolves game is the standout game that we could possibly get three points from as the next two are obviously difficult."
Forest travel to Goodison Park to face Everton after playing Wolves and Hodge, who knows Toffees boss Sean Dyche and his assistants says: "That will be an absolute battle - I'll guarantee that now.
"They'll bomb our box a lot and try to out-physical us and they'll play for free-kicks and corners.
"They'll have a crowd that is riled by their second deduction. That's for fighters that game."
Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds
Nick Mashiter
Senior football news reporter
Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo has been speaking to the media before Saturday’s Premier League game with Wolves.
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Nottingham Forest are waiting on an appeal date for their profit and sustainability punishment of four points with the manager calling the situation a mess.
Nuno commented: “I have never experienced this situation, none of us have experienced this before. It’s a mess. So much is going on, we cannot clearly know what is going to happen. Let’s wait. Me and the players are only focused on our task. It’s very important we have the decision sooner, it’s better for us and the competition so it doesn’t create, mess, confusion and uncertainty as this is what we experiencing now. It’s always there. What we try is to put it away from our focus. But it is there."
On his former club Wolves: “They are a very good team, (it’s been a) fantastic job from Gary (O’Neil). They are a tough opponent but we are ready for the game. Every game, especially in the situation we have, we always play for the three points. Sometimes it’s not possible but it is a very important game.”
He added: “All the games in the Premier League are so hard you cannot minimise the difficulty of your opponent. Wolves are a good team but at the City Ground we have been playing well. We will try. It is a vital game for us.”
On Chris Wood’s big miss in last week’s 3-1 defeat at Tottenham: “He doesn’t have an issue on that. He has been there before. Missed chances happen, that will not impact his performances.”
Taiwo Awoniyi and Willy Boly remain out along with Nuno Tavares. “Taiwo is starting his individual programme. He is closer and hopefully can help us this season,” said Nuno.
