Steve Cooper 'enjoying' massive overhaul of Nottingham Forest squad

Forest ended their 23-year Premier League exile last season and have responded by making wholesale changes in a bid to stave off an immediate return to the Sky Bet Championship.

Forest on Friday confirmed the signing of Morgan Gibbs-White from Wolves for an undisclosed fee, reported to be an initial £25million which could rise to over £40m with add-ons.

Midfielder Gibbs-White, 22, becomes Forest's 16th summer signing as head coach Cooper continues to revamp his squad following Premier League promotion.

Forest announced on their official website: "Nottingham Forest is delighted to confirm the signing of Morgan Gibbs-White from Wolves.

"The attacking midfielder has signed a five-year-deal at The City Ground."

Former Swansea boss Cooper and Gibbs-White are reunited as the latter spent the first half of the 2020/21 season on loan at the Liberty Stadium.

The pair also worked together during Cooper's spell in charge of England Under-17s, who won the U17 World Cup in 2017.

Gibbs-White was on loan at Sheffield United last season and started in both of Wolves' first two Premier League games in this campaign.

Forest confirmed the current England Under-21 international will wear the number 10 shirt.

During his loan spell at Sheffield United he notched 12 goals and made 10 assists in 37 appearances, and scored against Forest in the second leg of the Sky Bet Championship play-off semi-final at the City Ground.

Cooper said of his City Ground overhaul: "Well we're enjoying it that's for sure and we're certainly facing up to it because it's a reality.

"We're not seeing it as a negative and not seeing it as a disadvantage because if you see it like that then you're already on a downer with it. So we're enjoying it."

The former England Under-17s and Swansea boss added: "I've worked in international football when you get two or three days to try and put a team together to play in a European qualifier or tournament, with a group of players from different clubs in different parts of the country.

"So that's an exciting challenge and for me it's a great experience, a new experience at club level, to be able to do this."

Jesse Lingard, Dean Henderson and Taiwo Awoniyi had been among the club's new arrivals earlier this summer.

Cooper added: "Quite rightly I get asked every week by people about the amount of players coming in and I completely understand that. It's the right question to ask.

"But we had no alternative. It was inevitable. We were getting prepared for it for a long while and we're still in that process.

"All we can do is keep trying to build layers day by day, in the way that we work and behave."

Forest were bottom of the Championship when they appointed Cooper as Chris Hughton's permanent successor in September 2021.

Cooper added: "I definitely think there will be some more ins and outs. I don't know who, or how many, which is obviously the next question.

"But there's still the best part of a couple of weeks to go (before the transfer window closes) and a lot can still happen."