1994–95 Nottingham Forest F.C. season to succeed in life after Brian Clough as new manager Frank Clark guided them to an impressive third-place finish and UEFA Cup qualification, giving Forest their first European campaign of the post-Heysel era. Striker Stan Collymore was on target 22 times in the league and speculation that he would be on his way to another club proved correct at the end of the season when he sold to Liverpool for a national record fee of £8.4 million. The failure of Clark to buy a proven replacement cast significant doubt over whether Forest could mount a serious challenge for honours in
1995–96 in English football forward Nick Barmby. 8 August 1995: Eric Cantona announced his intention to leave English football, but Manchester United refused to terminate his contract. 10 August 1995: Cantona announced his intention to stay with Manchester United after a discussion with Alex Ferguson. Newcastle United signed Reading goalkeeper Shaka Hislop for £1.575 million. 16 August 1995: Andrea Silenzi was the first Italian to play for a Premier League side when he agreed to join Nottingham Forest in a £1.8-million move from Torino. 19 August 1995: The FA Premier League season began with Manchester United defeated 3-1 at Aston Villa. Blackburn Rovers won