Hughton: Transfer window tougher this year
BOSS SAYS FOREST HAVE WORK TO DO BEFORE THE DEADLINE
BOSS Chris Hughton is expecting a “busy” end to the summer transfer window for Nottingham Forest.
The Reds have a fortnight left to complete their business, having added Jordi Osei-tutu, Philip Zinckernagel and Ethan Horvath so far.
And there is a determination at the City Ground to make sure the club get their remaining recruitment right, as they look for an improvement in results.
Changes took place off the pitch earlier in the summer, with Chris Brass and George Syrianos added to the backroom staff, as well as Dane Murphy taking over as CEO.
And Hughton has outlined some of the processes, the hours spent poring over videos of potential targets and the obstacles the club face in trying to get deals over the line.
“I’m involved in it, because I have to be, but we do have a recruitment set-up which will do a lot of the work before it gets to me,” he told the Nottingham Post. “But ultimately, I have to make decisions.
“The recruitment department will source players and recommend players, then it’s the process of looking at numerous videos.
“In the modern game, and with the period we’ve had (during the pandemic), it’s impossible to go and watch players.
“Many years ago, you would have been recommended players, then you would perhaps have had an opportunity to go see them play on a couple of occasions. That’s not the case now.
“The recruitment department would do the majority of the work but then once it comes to me, it’s the hours and hours you have to spend going over players before you can take one seriously.
“And then, having done all of that work, there will be numerous circumstances where we’ve spent a lot of time on a player and for whatever reason it changes - the player goes somewhere else or the club decide he’s not now available.
“There’s a lot of work which goes into it.”
Hughton has spoken several times about a sense of frustration at not being able to get the bulk of new signings in early.
It is, he says, a regular feature of transfer windows - but particularly this one, which has been slow to get going across the board.
“It’s a combination of things,” he said.
“It’s a frustration I’ve seen this summer but it’s also a regular frustration. Managers throughout the country would say exactly the same.
“The ideal situation would be to get your players in as early as possible so you’re able to work with them but on most occasions that doesn’t happen. That can be down to lots of things.
“It’s not down to a desire to not want a player. But there are negotiations which have to go ahead, the player might have other options, and definitely ones where we know a player’s available and a club are not prepared to release him until they’ve maybe brought somebody in.
“There are so many obstacles, particularly this summer – I think it’s been a tougher one than normal.”
Hughton says he will be pleased when the window closes, so full focus can be on matters on the pitch.
His side are at home to Blackburn Rovers in the Championship tonight (7.45pm) aiming to bounce back from two defeats in their opening two Championship games.
“I will be very happy when that window closes, because you can then really concentrate on what you’ve got in the building,” he added.
“The amount of time you spend looking at other players and videos, you can then 100 per cent concentrate on the most important thing, which is getting results.
“We have work to do. We do need to be busy.
“By the time the window comes to an end, we’ll be in a fairly good position to determine what kind of season we can have – and we want to have the best season possible.”
In the stands on Saturday was Manchester City youngster Morgan
Rogers, a player who has been on the Reds’ radar this summer.
The versatile teenage attacker, who can play on the wing or in the middle, impressed alongside Brennan Johnson on loan with Lincoln City last season.
And Hughton said: “I was told about it (Rogers watching the game) and the first thing I thought was, he obviously played with Brennan last season at Lincoln, so it was brilliant he’s taken the time out to come and see Brennan play at the City Ground.
“That, I think, would be the reason why he was there.”