Arne Slot aims transfer dig at Nottingham Forest as unlikely Liverpool title challenger assessed
Arne Slot was full of praise for Nuno Espirito Santo and Nottingham Forest on Monday ahead of the midweek Premier League clash at the City Ground.
Liverpool travels to the East Midlands just six points clear of Forest in the table - with a game in hand - and a side who has been relegation candidates in recent years is already at the 40-point tally after 20 matches. Sitting third in the table, Slot said Forest should be considered as a title challenger.
However, the Liverpool boss did level a minor dig at Forest and said their rise is perhaps not a surprise given the amount of money spent since regaining its Premier League status. Forest has accrued a transfer net spend of around $263 (£216m) since returning to the top flight in 2022 and added 21 players in the first summer window after promotion.
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Forest was also docked points last season for breaching the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules, a fact that hasn’t gone unnoticed by Slot, with Liverpool’s net spend around $174m (£144) for the same period.
Asked about the history between the two clubs during his pre-match press conference, Slot replied: “I think it was 10 minutes when someone told me that it was ‘78/79 that Liverpool [won the European Cup] and then Forest two years and then Liverpool again.
“I’m aware of that and I didn’t know the exact years but I did know that Forest was a big force in English football for a long period of time. But that’s a long time ago and now they are back at it.
“They are doing really good and Nuno is doing an incredible job, but if you look at the amount of money they have spent it is perhaps not a complete surprise that they do well this season.”
On Forest’s title credentials, Slot added: “I always said you can judge the table best halfway through the season and that moment is here now. If Forest is up there with us, with Arsenal, Chelsea, [Manchester] City and all the others then they definitely are a team that is in competition with us and with the other teams.
“They deserved to be treated like this if you look at the way they play, if you look at their performances and results. It is going to be a very difficult challenge tomorrow to get a result.”