Defender Joe unlikely to be sent out on loan
BEST OF THE WEEKLY FOREST WEBCHAT
HERE’S the best of your questions answered by the Post’s Forest writer Paul Taylor.
Question: Is Michael Hefele fit to play against Reading?
Answer: Yes, but there is probably a caveat to that. Hefele trained yesterday with the rest of the squad. He is fit.
But this was his first training session with the rest of his new teammates. There is not really any need to rush him into action, is there?
He will have a part to play moving forward and he looks like a very good signing indeed. He knows how to win promotion from this division.
But, at the same time, Danny Fox and Tobias Figueiredo both played very well against West Brom. And, beyond them, Michael Dawson was very good against Bristol City.
And the very highly regarded Joe Worrall is still waiting for his first opportunity of the season. Hefele will get his chance, perhaps even against Bury next week.
But there is no reason to rush him into action immediately.
Question: Will Worrall be loaned out due to the (unnecessary?) signing of Hefele?
Answer: It’s possible but it feels unlikely. Forest turned down a bid of around £10m for Worrall back in January, from Burnley.
He has captained the England junior sides he has played for and was starting to establish himself in the Three Lions under-21 side last season. Worrall has made 49 Championship starts for Forest and has proven himself, building a good reputation along the way.
He is equipped and ready to perform at this level. There is a huge battle for places in his position now and he has some serious competition.
But get the feeling that, within the club - and probably in Karanka’s mind too, most significantly - he is very much regarded as one of the main options in his position, along with the like of Dawson, Figueiredo, Fox and now Hefele.
If it means anything, when he talks about his defensive options, AK always mentions Worrall among them.
Question: Do you think with the Michael Hefele signing and no defenders leaving, AK may be considering playing three at the back with wing-backs?
Answer: In short, yes. We ran a short interview on this subject earlier, in fact. Karanka has said that it is an option he is happy to have, to be able to play three at the back from time-to-time. Still expect that his preferred 4-2-3-1 approach will be the formation utilised most regularly. But there are a few teams at this level who play with three at the back and it can be useful to have the option of matching up against them.
Forest now very much have the options to be able to do that.
Question: Could Thomas Lam be on his way out? Heard about an interest from Verona in Italy. Will Yates depart? And what is the situation with Fuentes?
Answer: Lam has to be a long way down the pecking order now. Karanka was impressed with him in pre-season and, to be fair to him, he did do well enough in the games he played.
It was slightly amusing that, when he spoke about Lam, AK always talked about him as if he was a teenager, bracketing him with the likes of Appiah, Gomis and Ahmedhodzic.
Perhaps somebody finally mentioned to him that Lam is actually 24. He always looked decent in the games he has played. But with the ambitions Forest have now, is decent good enough?
He’s a long way from being a bad player. He’d do a steady job in the Championship, in fact. But Forest want genuine, real quality in every position in their side - and they have other options who will give them that now. If he says at Forest, it is hard to see Lam getting much, if any, game time.
Whether he leaves on loan or permanently, he’s a decent player who probably needs a fresh start somewhere.
As for Yates, get the feeling AK is very much torn on this one. He has a bright future - and certainly a bright future at Forest. He looked very good indeed in pre-season. But is he going to play ahead of Ben Watson, Jack Colback and Adlene Guedioura who has been superb in the two games so far, by the way. I forgot Liam Bridcutt too. Yates is a raw young man with a lot of ability.
The question AK still has to answer is whether he is better off staying with Forest, training with quality players and fighting for a first-team chance - or going out on loan to play every week. It is hard to see him playing more than ten or 12 games, even if he continues to impress in training. Yates is full of potential. But what is the best way for Forest to make the most of that, to help him to flourish?
As for Fuentes, he is not officially a Forest player, as his contract ran out at the end of last season. The club offered him any help he wants with his recovery and rehab, but I don’t believe he has been completing that at the Nigel Doughty Academy in recent times. I’ll check if he has been back at all, but I believe he has been working on his recovery back home, which is understandable.
Question: What are the chances of us getting a right-back in, whether it’s Sam Byram or not?
Answer: Forest will absolutely sign a right-back before August 31. Byram remains the man at the top of their list; he is their primary target and you get the feeling there is a good chance it will happen for them.
But if there are any issues that finally cause them to give up on the deal, they do have other options.
And there is plenty of time for them to fall back on those. Tendayi Darikwa has started the season very well. He has been good. So there is no blind panic to get something done. But he is their only experienced right-back and AK recognises the need to bring in another one, to provide competition and cover.
Question: If Forest fail to win today, or over the next few weeks, do you think it would be wise to go back in for a loan of Lee Tomlin?
Answer: As with many things at this time of year, it would be all about the money. Tomlin is a very good player at this level. He is exciting. He offers something different - the unpredictable.
But he also got a huge pay rise, by virtue of Cardiff’s promotion to the Premier League. Don’t know the precise figures, but told it was substantial.
So, if Cardiff do want to move him out on loan - particularly to any club in the Championship - they are going to have to pay a significant portion of those wages to make it happen. Suspect this will fall into the category which Karanka has frequently spoken of - of, if it is a good deal for Forest, they will do it.
Forest have a lot of options in his position already. But if Cardiff want to pay a large portion of his wages, just to get him out on loan, it would be something worth thinking about.
Question: It was interesting that Karanka changed so many players against WBA with a number still on the bench. Was this a precaution, tactical or does he not know his best team yet?
Answer: Forest had played a tough game at Bristol City and the manager opted to make a few changes, for fatigue-based reasons. Daryl Murphy, Ben Watson and Michael Dawson who had cramp at Ashton Gate - are all over 30, so there was a logic to not asking them to play a second game in the space of a few days.
And Figueiredo, Colback and Grabban - their replacements - all did well enough. Forest have a good squad now. They can make changes like that without weakening the team in the slightest. Karanka has the option to keep things fresh, when he chooses too.
It’s a positive thing. There is probably a middle ground to be found, when it comes to consistency.