Nottingham Forest’s most expensive signings of all time
Nottingham Forest have splashed the cash in recent years following their return to the Premier League, with owner Evangelos Marinakis getting the chequebook out on a regular basis.
But who tops the charts as the most expensive addition at the City Ground? Here’s Nottingham Forest’s 20 biggest signings in their history.
Weekly wages: Nottingham Forest FC 2025/26 highest-paid players
Football FanCast take a look at Nottingham Forest’s top ten biggest earners for the 2024/25 season.
ByCharlie Smith Sep 24, 2025
Rank
Player
Fee
Signed from
Year
Omari Hutchinson
£37.5m
Ipswich Town
2025
Elliot Anderson
£35m
Newcastle
2024
Dan Ndoye
£34m
Bologna
2025
Dilane Bakwa
£30.5m
Strasbourg
2025
Ibrahim Sangare
£30m
PSV Eindhoven
2023
James McAtee
£30m
Manchester City
2025
Arnaud Kalimuendo
£26m
Rennes
2025
Morgan Gibbs-White
£25m
Wolves
2022
Taiwo Awoniyi
£17.5m
Union Berlin
2022
Neco Williams
£17m
Liverpool
2022
Danilo
£16m
Palmeiras
2023
Igor Jesus
£16.5m
Botafogo
2025
Anthony Elanga
£15m
Manchester Utd
2023
Chris Wood
£15m
Newcastle
2023
Joao Carvalho
£13.2m
Benfica
2018
Emmanuel Dennis
£13m
Watford
2022
Moussa Niakhate
£13m
Mainz
2022
Orel Mangala
£12.75m
Stuttgart
2022
Nikola Milenkovic
£12m
Fiorentina
2024
Nicolo Savona
£11.2m
Juventus
2025
Here's a detailed look at Nottingham Forest's 10 biggest signings… 10 Neco Williams £17m from Liverpool
Starting the countdown is attacking full-back Neco Williams, who arrived following Nottingham Forest’s promotion in 2022.
He left Liverpool after coming through the Reds’ academy and signed a new four-year contract at the City Ground in 2025.
9 Taiwo Awoniyi £17.5m from Union Berlin
Taiwo Awoniyi was the player tasked with firing Nottingham Forest to safety following their return to the Premier League, and the Nigerian just done that to justify his £17.5m transfer from Union Berlin.
After that, though, Awoniyi fell down the pecking order at the City Ground, with Chris Wood becoming first choice.
8 Morgan Gibbs-White £25m from Wolves
Morgan Gibbs-White has been Nottingham Forest’s standout performer following their return to the Premier League, and he nearly left in 2025 for Tottenham Hotspur.
Instead, the England international signed a new contract at the City Ground, and his initial £25m move from Wolves has proven to be a bargain.
7 Arnaud Kalimuendo £26m from Rennes
Arnaud Kalimuendo scored 18 goals in 34 appearances for Rennes in 2024/25, something which caught the eye of Nottingham Forest in their search for another striker.
The Reds paid £26m to secure the Frenchman’s services, a fee which could be spread out over his five-year contract.
6 James McAtee £30m from Man City
Another player to arrive in 2025 was James McAtee, with Nottingham Forest winning the race to sign the attacking midfielder from Manchester City.
McAtee was a wanted man across Europe and ended up costing Forest £30m, signing a five-year deal on £40,000-a-week.
5 Ibrahim Sangare £30m from PSV
Ibrahim Sangare became Nottingham Forest’s record signing on deadline day in 2023, with those at the City Ground paying £30m to Dutch giants PSV.
Things haven’t exactly go to plan for Sangare, though, who has had his injury issues in the Midlands.
4 Dilane Bakwa £30.5m from Strasbourg
A deadline day addition in September 2025 was winger Dilane Bakwa, who put pen to paper on a City Ground contract just before the window closed in a deal worth just over £30m.
After impressing for Strasbourg, Bakwa, a left-footed right-winger, signed a contract until 2030.
3 Dan Ndoye £34m from Bologna
After qualifying for the Europa League, Dan Ndoye was Nottingham Forest’s first marquee signing in the summer of 2025, costing £34m from Serie A side Bologna.
A Switzerland international, Ndoye can play on either wing and is under contract until 2030.
2 Elliot Anderson £35m from Newcastle
Elliot Anderson’s transfer from Newcastle went down as a £35m fee, and even if it was that, it has proven to be a great piece of business.
However, Forest and the Magpies made a deal at the same time which saw Odysseas Vlachodimos move to St James’ Park for £20m, so really, Anderson set them back just £15m.
1 Omari Hutchinson £37.5m from Ipswich
Top of the charts as Nottingham Forest’s record signing is Omari Hutchinson, who arrived from Ipswich Town in 2025 at a cost of £37.5m.
The winger was a shining light at Portman Road in their only season back in the Premier League, which resulted in Forest swooping for the England U21 international.