Nottingham Forest star faces exclusion from Europa League squad 2 weeks after big-money transfer
Nottingham Forest could be about to snub one of their major summer signings by leaving him out of their league phase squad for their upcoming Europa League campaign.
Nottingham Forest impressed throughout last season under Nuno Espirito Santo, and they were in the race for Champions League football until a slight drop-off towards the end of the campaign saw them finish in seventh place.
That was enough to grant them a place in the Europa Conference League, but Forest went on to take Crystal Palace’s place in the Europa League after the Eagles were demoted from the competition for breaking rules around multi-club ownership.
Nuno’s desire for major improvements to his squad has seen the Tricky Trees splash the cash throughout the summer window, with their numerous incomings adding up to a total expenditure of around €236.90million (£205.7m) [Transfermarkt].
Many would have imagined that Forest signed each player on the proviso that they were set to be included in the club’s 25-man Europa League squad, but that may not be the case after a shock recent report emerged.
Omari Hutchinson may miss out on Nottingham Forest’s Europa League squad for the league phase
Forest signed Omari Hutchinson from Ipswich Town for £37.5m [BBC] last month, as he became their club-record buy, and he has made two appearances from the bench in the Premier League so far this term.
The England Under-21 international may well be restricted to playing in domestic competitions for now, after the Daily Mail’s Tom Collomosse revealed, via X (3 September) that Hutchinson “could be left out” of Forest’s squad for the league phase of the Europa League.
Forest are yet to announce their squad for the league phase of the competition, but will have had to already submit their player list to UEFA after the deadline passed on 2 September.
Nottingham Forest risk upsetting Omari Hutchinson with Europa League snub
Football Insider verdict
Forest’s numerous forward and attacking midfield signings certainly made sense on the face of it this summer, but they may have made a mistake by bringing in one too many, which could now have an adverse affect on Hutchinson’s debut season at the club.
Even though his statistics of three goals and two assists in 32 Premier League games last term were not the greatest, Hutchinson was one of Ipswich’s most influential players throughout the campaign, and certainly showed that he feels at home at the top level.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 82 | 14 | 8 |
His pedigree and potential to improve even further will be what drew Forest to his services, having played in the academies of both Arsenal and Chelsea, while he even played twice for the Blues’ senior team before his initial loan move to Portman Road in 2023.
For the East Midlands outfit to make him their record signing, but then leave him out of the club’s league phase plans in their first European campaign since 1996, would feel wrong and pretty short-sighted, and the 21-year-old would be right to be annoyed and dismayed at the decision, should it be made official soon.