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The footballing world has gone money-mad in recent years, and nowhere is that truer than in the Premier League. England’s top flight has been consistently outspending their European counterparts for years now, with even some of the league’s newer faces able to compete with European royalty on an economic front.
With that in mind, we at Football FanCast have taken a look at what teams are paying their star players in the Premier League, specifically Nottingham Forest.
And so, here we have compiled a list of Forest’s top ten best-paid players from the 2023/2024 season, per Capology.
10
Moussa Niakhate – £45,000 a week
Kicking things off is French centre-back Moussa Niakhate, who just about makes it onto the list in tenth place thanks to his £45,000 a week pay packet. The 27-year-old joined the Tricky Trees last summer when he left Bundesliga outfit Mainz 05 in a deal reportedly worth just £8.5m plus £4m of add-ons.
There was some excitement around this move when it happened as the Roubiax-born defender had impressed during his time in Germany, even finding the back of the net with some regularity for a centre-back. However, he played just two league games for the club before suffering a hamstring injury that left him sidelined for 214 days, causing him to miss 44 games in that time.
He would make his league return in March this year before going on to play the full 90 in all of the team’s final 12 matches, proving his worth to Steve Cooper’s side.
Ultimately, he’s played too few games for us to make a fair judgment on his time in the Midlands, but he’s certainly on the right track thus far.
9
Cheikhou Kouyate – £45,000 a week
The second player on this list to be on £45,000 a week and the second man to have had his season last year disrupted due to a hamstring injury. Cheikhou Kouyate joined Forest last summer on a free and, just like Niakhate, missed a significant portion of the campaign through injury.
The one positive for the former Crystal Palace man was that his time on the sidelines was significantly shorter than his teammate, missing 43 days of action, translating to just two missed games for the club.
That said, when he was fit for selection, he rarely played, with Cooper giving his new signing just ten starts in the league and 880 minutes in total.
Ultimately, it’s hard to call this move a success so far, and at 33 years old – soon to be 34 – it seems unlikely that Kouyate will suddenly fight his way back into the team. This might be a case in which his wages could be better spent elsewhere.
8
Taiwo Awoniyi – £50,000 a week
Another player signed within the last year – as practically everyone on the list will be – Taiwo Awoniyi has been a runaway hit during his time at the City Ground and is well and truly deserving of his place on this list.
The Nigerian forward joined the club from Bundesliga outfit Union Berlin 12 months ago in a deal worth around £17.5m, and it didn’t take long for him to settle in as he scored on his first league start against West Ham United.
Unfortunately, the 26-year-old was another player to spend a significant portion of last season sidelined through injury as a groin problem caused him to miss 13 games for Forest in all competitions.
That said, even with injuries completely ruining his momentum halfway through the season, Awoniyi still managed to finish the league campaign with ten goals and one assist, and he looks to have simply picked up where he left off this season, scoring three goals in three starts.
The big question for Cooper’s side is, can they keep a hold of him past this year?
7
Neco Williams – £50,000 a week
Since his £16m move from Liverpool last summer, Neco Williams has been a reliable and effective full-back for the Garibaldi. The Welsh international has been a regular first-teamer for Cooper since he arrived at the club, starting 20 league games and making a further 11 appearances from the bench last campaign.
He would have likely been given more game time had he not suffered a facial fracture towards the tail-end of the season that caused him to miss the final five games. We think it’s fair to say that, so far anyway, Williams deserves his place on this list.
6
Serge Aurier – £50,000 a week
Another free signing and another successful one at that, Serge Aurier has been one of the surprise packages of this Forest side over the last year.
The former Tottenham Hotspur full-back joined Cooper’s squad in September of last year and has turned doubters into believers with his consistency, maturity and all-round performances in red and white.
He started 22 league games last season and has already started all four this year – averaging a match rating of 7.01 – making his inclusion on this list entirely justified.
5
Jonjo Shelvey – £75,000 a week
A last-minute signing in this year’s January transfer window, Jonjo Shelvey has failed to impress at Forest so far and can only be classed as a flop.
In total, the former Newcastle United midfielder has started just six games for his new side, making two more appearances off the bench for a grand total of 542 league minutes since his debut on February 11th.
He is yet to make an appearance of any kind this season, a fact that doesn’t look set to change anytime soon. Ultimately, his time at the club does not warrant his wage, and it would probably be best for all parties if he were to find a new team to join as soon as possible.
4
Chris Wood – £80,000 a week
New Zealand international Chris Wood initially joined Forest on a short-term loan this January but was quickly signed permanently for £15m after an appearance clause was triggered in the deal.
The 31-year-old hasn’t had many opportunities to play thus far, though, making just five starts last season and making none this year. That said, he has scored two goals for the club, including a dramatic 89th-minute winner against Sheffield United last month.
It might be too early to come to any definitive conclusions about Wood’s place on this list. Still, if he doesn’t start making more appearances, it will become increasingly difficult to argue that he deserves to be on £80,000 a week.
3
Felipe – £80,000 a week
Former Atletico Madrid and Brazil defender Felipe was a core member of Cooper’s team from the moment he arrived in January of this year and has already justified his hefty £80,000 a week pay packet.
After sitting on the bench for Forest’s home game against Leeds United on 5th February, he started 16 league games in a row, missing just the season’s final match against Crystal Palace due to an injury.
He has yet to appear in the league this season but did play with the under-21s in the EFL Trophy, signalling he isn’t too far off a full return.
2
Morgan Gibbs-White – £80,000 a week
Now, if there’s anyone who deserves to be on this list off the back of last season’s league campaign, it’s Morgan Gibbs-White. Forest broke the bank to complete his £42m transfer from Wolverhampton Wanderers last summer, and they have been handsomely rewarded for doing so.
While the whole team can claim credit for avoiding relegation last year, Gibbs-White can probably claim just that little bit more due to his consistently brilliant performances for the side.
He started 34 league games for the Tricky Trees last campaign, scored five goals, provided eight assists, won five man of the match awards and averaged a match rating of 6.83.
£80,000 is certainly a lot of money, but for a player of his quality, it seems a steal, and we wouldn’t be surprised if he’s earning a lot more than that in no time at all – at the City Ground or elsewhere.
1
Divock Origi – £120,000 a week
Now this is an interesting one, and a move that we really didn’t see coming. Divock Origi joined Forest on a season long loan this summer after failing to impress during his time with Serie A giants AC Milan.
The Belgian has already got quite the history with fellow Premier League side Liverpool, having scored some of the biggest goals in the club’s history – corner taken quickly anyone?
That said, his goal scoring record is really rather poor whenever he’s been played as a regular starter. For example, in his 27 appearances for the Rossoneri last year he scored just two goals.
However, Origi is still clearly a quality player and one that could certainly do a job for a team in the lower half of the table. Moreover, withForest just paying his wages, they aren’t tied to him should he end up flopping, making this a gamble worth taking in our eyes.