Forest are spending £74m on new players and planning another £94m for stadium overhaul

August 1 - Nottingham Forest have been given the green light to redevelop their City Ground which will see an additional 5,000 seats added to the capacity of 30,455.

The cost is estimated at £94m and will see the club's main stand demolished and rebuilt at twice its capacity.

The plans were passed by the local council as Forest returned to the Premier League after 22 years.

As part of that preparation, the club, under owner Evangelos Marinakis, have spent £74million on new players in the current transfer window as they seek a quick recovery in the elite. This is the most a club has ever spent on players after being promoted to the Premier League.

Belgium international Orel Mangala, who signed from Stuttgart for a fee of £12.7m, is the latest to join the forestry revolution.

Forest has also signed England striker Jesse Lingard after leaving Manchester United on a free transfer, while breaking his transfer record for Nigeria international Taiwo Awoniyi. Welsh international Neco Williams has also joined Liverpool.

The stadium expansion was first mooted in 2019, but encountered delays from planning authorities. Now that they have been overcome, the aim is to complete construction by the end of the 2023/24 season, with the possibility that the lower level could be opened before then.

A statement from the club released on Friday said: "Today's decision represents an important milestone in the process of redevelopment of the historic City Ground site and represents the culmination of 3 years of dedicated work by the Club and his advisors.

"We believe the development of the site is crucial to maintaining the club's status in the Premier League and all the benefits to the local community and economy that status brings.

"The development will also represent the physical manifestation of club owner Mr Marinakis' desire to leave a historic legacy to the football club."

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