Nottingham Forest fans have reason to be positive after Aitor Karanka’s latest comments

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As Nottingham Forest prepare to start their season by travelling to Ashton Gate this Saturday, manager Aitor Karanka has struck a positive tone.

Forest supporters should take heart from the Spaniard’s optimism, as an impressive preseason has instilled an upward-looking outlook among those involved with the club.

Speaking to Paul Taylor from the Nottingham Post, Karanka expressed his delight at Forest’s summer, which has seen 11 new signings as well as positive friendly performances.

“Pre-season is nice, particularly when the club has been working really well. We have had the players since the very beginning, so it has been a nice summer and I have been able to enjoy the pre-season. Everything has been perfect so far.”

Nottingham Forest crucially did much of their business early on in the window, which has allowed their arrivals to gel with the squad.

The numerous signings incorporate an exciting blend of continental flair and Championship experience, with Gil Dias, Joao Carvalho, and Diogo Goncalves rubbing shoulders with the likes of Jack Colback, Ben Watson, Lewis Grabban, and Michael Dawson.

Karanka crucially pointed out the need for a healthy mix of different types of players in a promotion-chasing squad.

“You do not want to work with just young players. You do not want to work with old players. Always, you need a balance…It is not just about the three Portuguese. We have Worrall, we have Brereton, we have Matty Cash, Ryan Yates and Joe Lolley. We have a lot of young players and we have a lot of veteran players.”

These comments reveal the calculated decision-making of a manager who knows exactly what it takes to achieve promotion to the Premier League, a fact that will have Forest fans chomping at the bit for the new season to roll around.

But perhaps most importantly of all, Karanka maintained a level head amongst the high expectations and insisted he isn’t thinking about promotion just yet.

“The biggest focus now is the first game.”

With these wise words from the Nottingham Forest manager, coupled with his optimism ahead of the Championship campaign, Forest supporters have good reason to believe it could be a special season at the City Ground.