Nottingham Forest transfer news: Nuno Espirito Santo sees £25m striker added to squad after recent rant

Nottingham Forest have announced the signing of Rennes forward Arnaud Kalimuendo for an alleged £25m.

Prior to Sunday's Premier League fixture with Brentford, head coach Nuno Espirito Santo expressed his frustration over the size of his squad at the City Ground.

Since the, however, James McAtee and Omari Hutchinson have been signed from Manchester City and Ipswich Town respectively in deals worth in the region of £67.5m.

The following day, Forest cruised to a 3-1 victory over Brentford to suggest that the current crop in Nuno's squad are motivated to at least replicate last season's seventh-placed finish.

Less than 24 hours after that success over the Bees, Forest confirmed that Kalimuendo had been acquired to further strengthen their attacking ranks.

Bienvenue, Arnaud! ? pic.twitter.com/LOGR8JiTUD
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) August 18, 2025

Kalimuendo ready for Forest "challenge"

Although a transfer fee will officially remain undisclosed, it appears that Forest have taken their spending up to £92m for the past 48 hours, signing a player who will be viewed as direct competition for Chris Wood.

Speaking to the club's official website, the former Paris Saint-Germain starlet said: "When I heard about the interest from Forest, I was honoured. This is a proud moment for me, joining a team who had a strong season last year and a Club with great history.

“I’m ready for the challenge, and I arrive here with good experience. I had a good season last year with goals and assists but I want more and want to reach a new level here.

“I can’t wait to play in the Premier League, and to play at the City Ground. I watched games from last season and it’s clear the fans create a beautiful atmosphere. I'm excited to see them and impatient to get started.”

Forest specify in their announcement that Kalimuendo 'operates primarily as a centre-forward', perhaps hinting that he will only be deployed in that position.

Can Kalimuendo dislodge Wood in Forest attack?

Even spending a big-money fee on Kalimuendo is unlikely to lead to Wood being removed from the Forest attack anytime soon.

The New Zealand international has netted an outstanding 36 goals from his last 68 Premier League appearances for Forest.

By comparison, Kalimuendo scored 34 times and provided 13 assists during the most recent three campaigns in Ligue 1, justifying his price-tag.

Nevertheless, there is a feeling that Kalimuendo will have to be content with being a rotational option for the time being, Nuno sure to make full use of his squad when Forest commence their Europa League campaign in September.