Karanka’s nowhere near finished
REDS BOSS TARGETS FOUR MORE SIGNINGS, WITH ‘THE RIGHT STRIKER’ TOP PRIORITY
AITOR Karanka believes another four new additions would make Nottingham Forest a truly competitive force in the Championship promotion race.
The Reds boss is delighted with the work already done by the club over the summer and believes strong foundations are already in place with the seven signings made so far.
Costel Pantilimon is set to become signing number eight over the next 24 hours, once the final details of his permanent switch from Watford are confirmed.
But Karanka also hopes the club will be able to land another striker, a full-back and a midfielder to round off an impressive summer of business perfectly.
Lewis Grabban is at the top of their striker shopping list and the club will continue negotiations with him over a move from Premier League Bournemouth, with Patrick Bamford and Nelson Oliveira among their fall-back options.
Forest also remain keen on securing a return for Newcastle midfielder Jack Colback, following his successful loan spell last season - although he is not the only midfield target. West Ham defender Sam Bryam and Middlesbrough’s Fabio are also on their radar, as they look to bolster back-four options
“We are looking at a keeper, a full-back, a midfielder and a striker. So we are looking at another four,” said Karanka. “If they arrive this week, that is perfect. If they arrive the following week, that is perfect too.
“We know the targets and we need to build the team step-bystep.”
Karanka says the striker Forest sign will be the most important addition they make this summer and confirmed that Grabban is a player he respects.
“Lewis is a good player and I wanted him when I was at Middlesbrough. In the end, he went to Norwich. I can tell you that the striker who arrives will be the right one for this club.
The striker will be one of the most important signings we make at the club this summer. This player can make the difference that we missed last season.
“With the squad we had last season, we created chances. Imagine with the squad we have now, how many chances we can create. We need to be sure with the striker we sign, because he will be the key player.
“We are looking for a striker because last season we missed a lot of chances. We did not want to put too much pressure on Ben Brereton, because he is young. Daryl Murphy has been training really well this week.
“But we still need to strengthen that position. We need to bring in the right one.”