Nottingham Forest look set for another busy couple of months as they bid to fulfil their promotion dream next season.
Several new recruits were added to Martin O’Neill’s ranks during the January transfer window and more are likely to follow this summer. However, there are likely to be more players leaving than arriving at the City Ground.
The latest player to be linked with a move away from Nottingham is Hillal Soudani. According to Greek outlet SDNA, Evangelos Marinakis’ other club, Olympiacos, are interested in the forward.
It has been questioned among Forest supporters whether the Reds boss will give the forward a chance next season. O’Neill has already made it clear that he is looking to improve his attacking options this summer.
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The Reds currently only have Lewis Grabban, Daryl Murphy and Tyler Walker as out-and-out strikers contracted for next season. Soudani isn’t an out-and-out striker, but has the ability to play that role, as well as out wide.
Here at Seat Pitch we assess the pros and cons of the Reds allowing Soudani to depart the City Ground.
Pros
So what makes this a potentially good deal for the Reds?
First of all, Soudani’s injury record may be a concern for O’Neill ahead of next season. The 31-year-old only managed to make six appearances for the Reds last season. He has not made an appearance for the Reds since October, when he suffered a knee injury in the Carabao Cup defeat to Burton Albion.
He has been posting regular updates on social media about his recovery. However, it remains to be seen whether he will be the same player on his return. This is something that the Reds will have to take into account.
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Secondly, allowing Soudani to join Olympiacos could make sense financially. As Marinakis is in control of the Greek Super League club, the Reds may get a better deal than if they were to sell Soudani elsewhere. This sort of deal could help the Reds stay within Financial Fair Play regulations.
Marinakis is likely to back O’Neill in this summer’s transfer market. Allowing certain players such as Soudani to move on, may be one way of giving O’Neill more funds to bring some of his own targets in.
Cons
But there’s always cons to any deal, so what reasons are there to potentially avoid this sale?
There’s one clear reason why the Reds should perhaps avoid selling Soudani just yet. He hasn’t had the chance to prove himself at the City Ground.
In the six appearances he did make last season, he scored twice. Not only that, but he looked like he could be a useful player in the Championship. This was all before he had a proper opportunity to adapt to the demands of the division.
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His two goals came against Reading and Wigan Athletic, with his winning-goal against the Royals being a reflection of what he is capable of. There’s no doubt that had he stayed fit, he would’ve picked up a decent tally last season.
Surely he deserves a chance to prove that?