Former Nottingham Forest striker Nélson Oliveira is understood to be set to leave Norwich City on loan this month.
According to Sky Sports, the 27-year-old is in talks with Reading over a potential loan deal until the end of the season.
The speculation comes as no surprise considering Oliveira hasn’t made a single first-team appearance for the Canaries this season. There have been rumours that he has fallen out with manager Daniel Farke.
In this case, the Reading Chronicle have reported that a deal is not imminent at this point. Now that clubs have been made aware of his availability, a few more could register their interest.
New Forest boss Martin O’Neill will be keen to bolster his squad this month. Although the positions he wants to strengthen in are unknown, it is likely that another forward option is on his wishlist.
If he is on the lookout for another striker, then a last minute attempt to hijack Reading’s move for Oliveira could be a smart choice. It is always a tough ask to buy quality in January, and there might not be many better options.
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Oliveira linked with a return in the summer
Oliveira could’ve easily made a return to the City Ground a couple of months ago.
Aitor Karanka was keen on adding to his attacking arsenal on Deadline Day in August. According to the Nottingham Post, the likes of Tammy Abraham, Jermain Defoe, Rudy Gestede and Oliveira were all potential options.
The Reds were unable to bring another striker through the door, and Karanka had to settle for the forwards he already had at his disposal.
Both Lewis Grabban and Daryl Murphy have enjoyed productive seasons so far, scoring 15 and five goals respectively. This has papered over the fact that the Reds are still arguably short of forward options.
Especially if O’Neill continues with a 4-4-2 set-up moving forward.
Having named both Grabban and Murphy in the starting line-up at the weekend, Forest didn’t have a recognised striker on the bench. What will happen if either one of them picks up an injury?
Karim Ansarifard is currently in the United Arab Emirates playing for Iran in the Asian Cup. Arvin Appiah is a very exciting prospect but isn’t an out-and-out striker. This leaves O’Neill with virtually no back-up options at present.
Having failed to score in six of their last nine games in all competitions, the Reds clearly need to improve their attacking options. The fact that both Grabban and Joe Lolley have lost their goalscoring touch recently hasn’t helped matters.
If Forest were able to sign Oliveira on loan, it would give O’Neill another attacking option whilst at the same time not being too much of a risky investment. If it didn’t work out, he would just return to Carrow Road at the end of the season.
He was a very popular figure during his last spell at the club. If he could replicate that sort of form, it would be a deal well worth pursuing.