Changes on cards, fine tuning the attack a big task
CRUCIAL SUMMER COMING UP AT THE CITY GROUND
NOTTINGHAM Forest still need to make sure of their Championship status for next season but thoughts are beginning to turn to the upcoming transfer window.
Planning is already underway for what boss Chris Hughton has admitted will be a “busy summer” as he looks to put his mark on the dressing room.
After a campaign spent battling at the bottom end of the table, the focus will be on putting together a squad capable of challenging for the top six.
That will mean outgoings as well as incomings, with the future of several players up in the air.
We’ve taken a look at where they all stand heading into a crucial window.
■■Goalkeepers
Brice Samba has been undisputed first choice between the posts this term, as he was last season.
Although he hasn’t quite been in the kind of form he was 12 months ago, the 26-year-old has nevertheless come to his team’s rescue on several occasions.
Both Samba and back-up stopper Jordan Smith will remain under contract beyond the summer and it’s difficult to see their status changing.
It is a different matter where Abdoulaye Diallo is concerned, however.
Signed last summer to ensure the club had three senior keepers on the books, he has yet to make his debut and has only featured in a matchday squad once – against Norwich City earlier this month.
He has been hampered by injuries but having signed a one-year deal (albeit with the option of a further 12 months beyond that), there’s every chance he could depart without making a single appearance in the Garibaldi.
■■Defenders
There are certain to be changes in the defensive department come the end of the campaign.
Decisions will be made on several players who will be out of contract, with some almost certain not to be offered new deals.
There’s no doubt Michael Hefele’s will not be renewed and he will leave the club, while Michael Dawson is also unlikely to have fresh terms on the table.
At 37, the latter will face a call over whether to hang up his boots or try his luck elsewhere.
If he does call time on his playing days, it would make sense for Forest to offer him some sort of coaching role.
When it comes to the other centrebacks on their books, the Reds may well have their resolve over Joe Worrall tested.
It could be a nerve-wracking summer on that front, for supporters keen for the academy product to stay.
Although chairman Nicholas Randall has said the club have some “headroom” when it comes to Financial Fair Play, he has also made clear the system means players regularly have to be sold to help balance the books.
Burnley have been long-term admirers of Worrall and it remains to be seen if they will test the waters again.
Beyond that, Hughton also has Tobias Figueiredo (under contract until 2022), Scott Mckenna and Loic Mbe Soh (both 2024) as central defensive options.
The situation at full-back will be interesting.
Cyrus Christie’s loan spell will come to an end, although the Reds have an option to buy.
Whether they take that up could have a knock-on effect, as Jordan Gabriel will return from his loan at Blackpool looking to push for a spot and Carl Jenkinson has another year left on his contract.
Hughton will also have a decision to make at left-back – an area primed for cutting numbers.
Yuri Ribeiro has been linked with a return to Portugal as his deal comes to an end, having been in and out of the team this term.
The manager has regularly rotated that spot, with Gaetan Bong also being given a chance, while Tyler Blackett can also step in and Nicholas Ioannou will come back from his loan at Aris Thessaloniki in the summer.
Hughton would not be drawn on speculation about Ribeiro, but did take the opportunity to single out Blackett for praise at the same time. Reading between the lines, that could be telling.
■Midfielders
The Reds have more central midfielders than they know what to do with. It’s almost certain there will be some trimming involved.
The key question will be whether they can persuade Manchester United to let them have James Garner back – something which looks increasingly harder to accomplish with every impressive performance.
Even putting Garner’s future aside, it’s difficult to see how Forest will want to keep all the other midfielders they have on their books.
Cafu only made his switch to the City Ground a permanent one in February, so he’s a given to stay.
Ryan Yates has been the subject of speculation before but up until getting injured had enjoyed a decent season and is ahead of others in the pecking order.
Jack Colback hasn’t played a great deal – another to have been hampered by injury – but has been on the bench. Harry Arter and Fouad Bachirou, however, weren’t even included in the 25-man squad listed at the end of January.
Again, injury has played a part, but both have been linked with moves away and it would come as no surprise if either of them head elsewhere.
A decision must be made on Samba Sow as his contract is due to run out. He has also struggled with injury issues and has found himself down the pecking order.
Several attacking midfielders also see their deals expire this summer. Sammy Ameobi’s contract comes to an end, while the loans of Luke Freeman, Filip Krovinovic and Anthony Knockaert are up.
The club do have an option on Freeman. They did have one on Knockaert in January but did not take that up, with an extension to his loan agreed instead.
Attack has been the Reds’ Achilles’ heel, so there’s a big question mark over who Hughton might wish to – or try to – keep.
Alex Mighten and Joe Lolley remain tied to longer deals. The latter has been the subject of speculation in the past but after a tough season and his campaign cut short by a hamstring tear, it’s likely to be a quieter summer on that front.
Elsewhere, Joao Carvalho’s loan at Almeria comes to an end, although the Spanish outfit do have an option to buy.
And Brennan Johnson will return from his stint at Lincoln City hoping to get a chance to impress.
■■Strikers
What happens here will be particularly interesting.
Lewis Grabban, Glenn Murray and Lyle Taylor are the forwards currently on the books. But it remains to be seen whether that trio will still be in place come August.
First up, Murray. He is another player set to be out of contract, having signed on a short-term basis in January.
He will be 38 in September, so the big question surrounds whether he wants to keep on playing.
The former Brighton & Hove Albion man has given nothing away, just saying discussions will be had when the time is right.
Hughton is a big fan, though, and regularly praises Murray’s fitness levels, so may well be keen for him to stay on.
Grabban was the subject of interest from former Reds boss Sabri Lamouchi – now with Qatari side Al Duhail – before the last summer window closed.
He has said he never considered leaving and is focused on continuing to play for Forest, while Hughton has also said he expects Grabban to still be here next term.
What happens if the interest resurfaces, though, is a different matter.
And how things pan out for Murray and Grabban, may have an impact on Taylor, given he’s been third in the pecking order and mostly confined to a substitutes’ role.
Also not forgetting Nuno Da Costa, who has been on loan at Royal Excel Mouscron. The Belgian club have the option to make his switch permanent, and it’s difficult to see how there’s a way back into the fold for him at the City Ground.
Hughton will also make a judgement on youngster Will Swan, weighing up whether he’s ready to play a bigger part for the first-team next year or would benefit more from another loan.