TOM COLLOMOSSE: Nottingham Forest have replaced their pitch, hired two new data analysts and put greater focus on players’ nutrition this summer… Steve Cooper is leaving nothing to chance as they attempt to avoid relegation again

Nottingham Forest became notorious around the world for signing 30 new players following promotion last season yet the changes the club are making a year later may prove even more significant.

Forest’s compelling, often chaotic Premier League return ended in triumph, with survival secured by beating Arsenal in a raucous City Ground atmosphere on May 20. It was an outstanding achievement for boss Steve Cooper, who learned quickly on the job.

Cooper managed to generate a strong collective spirit among a squad of virtual strangers and eventually found a tactical framework that functioned in the toughest competition of all. Now he wants Forest to look and feel like a Premier League club, and with chief football officer Ross Wilson settling impressively into his role, this work is well underway.

Gone is last term’s kit supplier Macron, a regular for EFL clubs, and back comes adidas, who designed the shirts Forest wore when they won the European Cup in 1979 and 1980.

Last season the first team were supported by only one data analyst; this season, there will be three. The pitch at the City Ground has finally been replaced at a cost of about £2million and at the training ground, a short distance from the stadium, players will enjoy a new dressing room and greater focus on nutrition.

Steve Cooper’s Nottingham Forest confirmed their survival in the Premier League by beating Arsenal in their penultimate game last season

They have replaced their pitch over the summer as they look to cement themselves as a Premier League club

Ninety-three per cent of Forest’s injuries last season happened in games rather than training sessions, convincing Cooper that preparation must improve.

Had the season started in October, Forest would have finished 12th. Their points tally at home was the 10th best in the league, and their form in the final month of the campaign was bettered by only four clubs.

Yet for Cooper – whose job was under threat at least twice last season from Forest’s exacting owner Evangelos Marinakis – the real work starts now. He drove the £15million signing of Anthony Elanga from Manchester United and the free transfer deal for Ola Aina, and there will be more to come.

With Serge Aurier’s physique struggling to withstand a full season, Aina’s ability to play in either full-back position will come in handy, as will his long throw-in. Moussa Niakhate’s delivery from the touchline was a vital weapon but the luckless centre-back has another long-term injury, this time to his elbow.

Cooper continues to push for new signings with at least one goalkeeper, a left-back and a defensive midfielder among his priorities, along with another centre-back and possibly a forward. Dean Henderson remains Forest’s top priority in goal after his successful loan spell, and the club hope to tie up a deal with United before the action resumes. The agreement may be an initial loan with an obligation to buy for £15-20m.

For the No 6 role, Forest like both Ibrahima Sangare, valued at about £32m by PSV Eindhoven, and Leeds’ Tyler Adams. Wilfred Ndidi may become an option later in the window but Leicester currently value the Nigeria international, whose contract expires in less than a year, at £20m. Ndidi would also command a high salary.

Anthony Elanga has joined Forest from Manchester United in a deal worth £15m

Forest have also secured the signing of versatile defender Ola Aina (pictured)

As well as Johnson, Forest will also listen to offers for a number of fringe players such as Jonjo Shelvey and Emmanuel Dennis. They hope to generate interest in that pair from Saudi Pro League clubs, who are also monitoring developments with Cheikhou Kouyate, Willy Boly and Aurier.

Kouyate, Boly and Aurier were part of a travelling Forest squad who returned from a pre-season training camp just outside Valencia, where Cooper hopes to have set the foundations for a successful nine months.

The Parador Nacional de El Saler golf resort where Forest stayed overlooks the Mediterranean and has hosted the Spanish Open. If they are lucky, residents can spot finback whales from the shoreline and even find turtle eggs hatching on the sand. Yet apart from a brief stint on the driving range for Joe Worrall and Neco Williams, no player went near the course, let alone the nearby beach.

The complex has its own pitch and the squad completed double sessions every day in temperatures above 30 degrees. Though there was heavy emphasis on tactical work, Cooper wants his team to be more athletic and dynamic in the months ahead and believes their Spanish trip will pay dividends in that respect.

‘Culture’ is a word Cooper uses often and in meetings at the training camp – sometimes as many as three per day – he spelled out exactly what he expects from his players. Cooper’s main idea is for players to ‘own’ their performances and behaviour. So he does not, for example, fine players unless absolutely necessary. He prefers his squad to work those things out for themselves, without the need for school-style punishments.

Morgan Gibbs-White played a key role in Forest’s survival last season, and will be expected to be a leading figure for the side once more this season

Discussions with Forest’s multinational squad are conducted in English although with midfielder Danilo still coming to terms with the language, some messages are also written in Portuguese. Danilo’s fellow Brazilian Gustavo Scarpa often acts as translator as does Boly, who spent four seasons in Portugal – two with Braga and two with FC Porto – before moving to Wolves in 2017.

The squad is still taking shape but there is little doubt that Danilo, signed from Palmeiras for £18m in January, and Morgan Gibbs-White will be key men. Gibbs-White missed the camp as he was given extra time off after England Under-21s’ European Championship victory but returned on June 25 and will be expected to build on his impressive first season at the club.

Forest are willing to sell one of last season’s heroes, Brennan Johnson. They value the forward at £45m and any fee received would count as pure profit within Financial Fair Play regulations. Ryan Yates, another homegrown player, has impressed Cooper greatly in pre-season in an advanced midfield role.

Until the serious stuff starts, it will be difficult to gauge how far Forest can go this season. The ruthless nature of the Premier League means it may be another tough campaign, but thanks to the smart work behind the scenes, they will surely be better equipped for the challenges ahead.