Nottingham Forest have enjoyed a phenomenal rise in recent years, with the Reds returning to the Premier League in 2022 after a 23-year absence.
Owner Evangelos Marinakis has spent money at the City Ground on numerous signings and parted ways with several managers. However, in recent years, Forest have also received significant fees for some star players.
Here’s a look at the greatest starts of all time at Nottingham Forest, with a detailed look at the top 10.
|
Nottingham Forest’s most expensive transfer sales |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Rank |
Player |
Sold at |
Year |
Costs |
|
1 |
Antoine Luna |
Newcastle |
2025 |
£52 million |
|
2 |
Brennan Johnson |
Tottenham |
2024 |
£47.5 million |
|
3 |
Moussa Niakhate |
Lyon |
2024 |
£27 million |
|
4 |
Danilo |
Botafogo |
2025 |
£21.7 million |
|
=5 |
Vlachodimos Odyssey |
Newcastle |
2024 |
£20 million |
|
=5 |
Orel Mangala |
Lyon |
2024 |
£20 million |
|
7 |
Britt Assombalonga |
Middlesbrough |
2017 |
£15 million |
|
8 |
Matty Cash |
Villa Aston |
2020 |
£14 million |
|
9 |
Olivier Burke |
RB Leipzig |
2016 |
£13 million |
|
10 |
Ramon Sosa |
Palm trees |
2025 |
£10 million |
|
11 |
Andrew Omobamidele |
Strasbourg |
2025 |
£9.1 million |
|
12 |
Stan Collymore |
Liverpool |
1995 |
£8.5 million |
|
13 |
Arvin Appiah |
UD Almería |
2019 |
£8 million |
|
=14 |
Ben Brereton Diaz |
Black burn |
2019 |
£7 million |
|
=14 |
Michel-Antonio |
Western Ham |
2015 |
£7 million |
|
=14 |
Matt Turner |
Lyon |
2025 |
£7 million |
|
17 |
Steve Pierre |
Villa Aston |
1999 |
£5.5 million |
|
=18 |
jermaine yen |
Newcastle |
2002 |
£5 million |
|
=18 |
Joe Worrall |
Burnley |
2024 |
£5 million |
|
=18 |
Sam Surridge |
Nashville SC |
2023 |
£5 million |
10
Ramon Sosa
£10m to Palmeiras, 2025
Ramon Sosa’s stay at Nottingham Forest has been short and sweet, arriving ahead of the 2024/25 season from Argentine side CA Talleres.
Sosa only played 550 minutes of football with the Reds before returning to South America, this time to Brazil with Palmeiras.
9
Olivier Burke
£13 million to RB Leipzig, 2016
Oliver Burke has played for several different clubs since leaving Nottingham Forest in 2016, but it was at the City Ground that he played as a teenager.
A product of the club’s academy, Burke has impressed so much in the league that Bundesliga side RB Leipzig were happy to pay £13million for the striker’s signature.
8
Matty Cash
£14m to Aston Villa, 2020
Matty Cash was a winger before developing into a star right-back, and he made 141 appearances for Nottingham Forest after attending the academy.
Now a Poland international and Aston Villa star, Cash has played in the Champions League for the Villans, making a £14m deal in 2020 seem like a bargain.
7
Britt Assombalonga
£15 million to Middlesbrough, 2017
During Nottingham Forest’s days stuck in the Championship, Britt Assombalonga was a shining light at the City Ground and played for the club after joining Peterborough.
The Democratic Republic of Congo striker scored 30 goals in 69 appearances for Forest, helping Middlesbrough break their transfer record to sign him in 2017.
6
Orel Mangala
£20 million for Lyon, 2024
Midfielder Orel Mangala arrived in the Midlands in 2022 from German club Stuttgart and spent two seasons with Nottingham Forest, making over 50 appearances.
He was sold to Lyon in 2024, but the Belgium international quickly returned to England, joining Everton on loan.
5
Vlachodimos Odyssey
£20m to Newcastle, 2024
Odysseas Vlachodimos has only played five Premier League games for Nottingham Forest, so some might consider it a shock that Newcastle paid £20m to sign the goalkeeper in 2024.
As part of a deal that saw Elliot Anderson move to the City Ground for £15million, Vlachodimos traveled to St James’ Park to help both clubs balance their books. Forest certainly got the best deal.
4
Danilo
£21.7m to Botafogo, 2025
Defensive midfielder Danilo contributed to 10 goals in 62 appearances during his two-year stay at the City Ground, and it was a slight surprise that Nottingham Forest were prepared to sell the Brazilian.
He was a regular for the Reds but returned to his homeland with Botafogo, with Forest making a small profit in the process.
3
Moussa Niakhate
£27m for Lyon, 2024
Nottingham Forest initially spent £8.6m on defender Moussa Niakhate in 2022, so when they sold the Senegal international two years later they were in line for an eye-catching profit.
Lyon paid £27m for the centre-back, who left the City Ground having made just 37 appearances in all competitions.
2
Brennan Johnson
£47.5m to Tottenham, 2024
Academy graduate Brennan Johnson’s first full season as a Nottingham Forest first-team player saw him star in the club’s promotion to the Premier League.
After another impressive season in the top flight, Tottenham decided to spend some money on deadline day in 2024. Spurs paid £47.5 million for the Wales international to strengthen the club’s FFP position.
1
Antoine Luna
£52m to Newcastle, 2025
Topping Nottingham Forest’s record sales chart is winger Anthony Elanga, who joined the club from Manchester United in a deal worth just £15 million in 2023.
He played for two seasons at the City Ground, which saw Newcastle pay over £50million for the Sweden international.
