Amongst many observers, Nottingham Forest look set to take their turn at the top of the Championship table this season.

Whether that is thanks to the input of Jorge Mendes or the individual brilliance of players such as Dias and Carvalho remains to be seen, but many observers feel that the City Ground might finally get the top flight football it so richly deserves.

Last season, the input of Nuno Santo, Mendes and a finely assembled squad of players saw Wolves romp to the title and the stark similarities between them and Forest are there for all to see and to dissect.

Not everyone agrees though, Forest are only fourth in the SkyBet odds table, suggesting a play-off spot at best. It is possible to point to one or two major difference between themselves and Wolves that could mean their stay in the second tier lasts at least one season more.

Some suggest the roots of the Wolves squad were present in 2016/17 under Paul Lambert, a manager who allegedly lost the power struggle with Jorge Mendes and lost his job because of it. He guided them to 15th in 2016/17, not dissimilar to the 17th place in which Forest finished this season.

Ivan Cavaleiro, Helder Costa and John Ruddy are just three players who already had a season or two at Molineux before Nuno rocked up, but as yet none of the Nottingham Forest imports have played Championship football. Does that give Wolves the advantage, having already settle foreign players in the team before the other big names arrived?

Then there's the rich vein of talent that Mendes is tapping into, at some point it has to run dry, surely? To offload his best three prospects to Wolves one season is all well and good, but that surely means the next batch of players are the ones not deemed good enough to join him last season? That may be a rather rudimentary way of looking at things, but there's no guarantee just because Ruben Neves and Diogo Jota were a success, that Gil Dias and Joao Carvalho will be.

The manager himself also has to be considered, prior to rocking up at Wolves Nuno Santo had won La Liga Manager of the Month three times and guided Valencia to 4th place in one of the biggest divisions in the world. Aitor Karanka may have got Middlesbrough promoted, but he struggled in the top flight and ended up relieved of his duties very quickly.

These are not reasons to worry for Nottingham Forest, but they are all aspects to consider when making lazy comparisons between themselves and Wolves. Forest haven't been in the top flight for almost twenty years, whereas Wolves have been up and down a few times in that period. Forest have the added pressure of league titles and European Cup wins in their not-so distant past, whereas Wolves have no such legacy to live up to.

The differences are numerous and all contribute to make the two club's situation contrasting, rather than mirrored. Yes, there's been input from Mendes and yes, there's a concerted effort to buy their way into the top two, but Forest's transfer policy has significant difference.

For instance, they have signed the Championship's leading scorer from last season, a 30-year old Englishman who has probably never met Jorge Mendes.

They have packed the midfield with English battlers such as Watson and Colback, adding the seasoned pro Michael Dawson at the back too. There's a very English feel to the spine of their team and how they manage to blend that with the new arrivals will go some way to deciding their fate.

What will not decide their fate, under any circumstances, is following exactly what Wolves did last season. If they do go up it will be the manager and players that earn it, not an agent relentlessly peddling his wares around the English second tier.