Wayne Rooney’s ominous warning to Nottingham Forest when predicting how far they’d get in the Champions League
Nottingham Forest have put in a monumental effort to reach the Champions League, but with the outcome still undecided, Wayne Rooney has attempted to predict how they’d fare.
It’s an exciting but stressful time to be a Forest fan with the FA Cup semi-final this weekend, as well as the ongoing Champions League race.
Forest’s win over Tottenham eased concerns about Nuno Espirito Santo’s side’s form going into the final five Premier League fixtures, building a three-point gap to Chelsea outside the Champions League positions.
Rivals such as Pep Guardiola have labelled Forest “outstanding”, but qualification will remain up in the air until the very end. However, looking ahead to the possibility, Rooney had some choice words to say about the Reds’ chances at Europe’s top table.
Wayne Rooney on how Nottingham Forest would fare in the Champions League
Even Evangelos Marinakis’ incredible ambition couldn’t mask the fact that it’s going to be a tough ask for Forest if Champions League football is secured, but the challenge is part of the reward
However, speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate, Rooney had serious doubts about whether the Reds would be ready to even enjoy this challenge.
Rooney said: “I think the Champions League, as good as it is to play in and be involved in, I just think you’re better building your squad first because I think it can give you false hope.
“You’re better building your squad to get into it, so you’re capable of competing. I think if Forest get in, they’ll get knocked out very quickly, in my opinion.”
Not exactly the words that fans would want to hear, but there’s no sign of complacency from the Forest owner to make sure that the side is ready to compete at any level, especially given how he acted upon Forest’s promotion to the Premier League.
Evangelos Marinakis will prepare Forest for European football
The names that Forest are being linked with are already of a calibre that suggests Marinakis is looking to invest seriously into Espirito Santo’s side to ease any concerns about being ready for European football.
Forest are chasing Douglas Luiz for one, and Brian Mbuemo has been linked with Forest as added attacking firepower. Whoever is brought in, though, Reds fans can be assured that Marinakis won’t leave his manager short-changed.
When Forest were initially promoted to the Premier League, Marinakis splashed out on the likes of Morgan Gibbs-White and Neco Williams, who remain stars for Espirito Santo to this day, showing that the deals completed were genuine additions of quality to the squad.
Should the Forest coaching staff complete the job and secure Champions League football, Rooney’s concerns about squad building will surely be dealt with via swift and significant transfer action.
