London [UK], August 15 : Nottingham Forest head coach Nuno Espirito Santo has classified his side as "unbalanced", claimed that they have a "major problem" and placed them "very, very far" from the position they should be as the latest edition of the Premier League stands on the verge of commencement.
With Nottingham preparing for the Europa League this season, they have made three acquisitions, including Dan Ndoye, Igor Jesus and Jair Cunha. The sole major outgoing is the £55m sale of Anthony Elanga to Newcastle United.
The club has several deals in the pipeline, but the timeline for their completion remains subject to discussion. Nottingham, who will kick off their Premier League campaign on Sunday against Brentford, endured a challenging pre-season tour.
They struck just once in seven matches, and Nuno came out to admit that their summer plans have gone off the rails. Nuno delivered an unfiltered assessment of their current situation just a couple of days before embarking on the new season.
"We are very far - very, very far - from where we should be. We are very far in terms of preparation, in terms of planning, in terms of the squad. So we are all very worried that in two or three days time we are playing for the Premier League, the most demanding competition in the world. And we are very far. Very, very far," Nuno told Sky Sports.
"The plans that we had didn't come through. The preparation in terms of the squad was not ideal. We didn't have a chance to create the bond, and this is what I think is more important. Because we don't know which squad we have. We have players working here that know they're going to leave on loan. We have a major problem," he added.
Nuno didn't shy away from expressing his disappointment about Elanga's departure. The Swedish winger racked up 11 assists last season, with Jacob Murphy and Mohamed Salah emerging as the two players ahead of him.
"Very difficult, very difficult - because Anthony's [role] is very specific in the work and in the characteristics that he has. So it's not easy to replace Anthony. It's not easy," he said.
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