Nottingham Forest saw both Jason Cummings and Daryl Murphy depart the City Ground on Deadline Day, leaving Sabri Lamouchi with just two recognised strikers.
Both Cummings and Murphy had been informed by Lamouchi earlier this summer that they weren’t part of his plans. However, they were still on the club’s books and could’ve been called upon if needed.
Cummings joined Shrewsbury Town for an undisclosed fee, whilst Murphy joined Bolton Wanderers after the Reds agreed to mutually terminate his contract.
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Zach Clough is able to play in that position, but is another player understood to not be in Lamouchi’s plans this season.
At times during 2018/19, Murphy provided much-needed competition to Lewis Grabban. The 36-year-old scored six goals for the Reds last season and always put in a shift for the side.
Rafa Mir is now the only option that Lamouchi has as an alternative to Grabban. This does raise the question of whether the Reds have enough options in that area of the pitch.
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Mir signed for the Reds on a season-long loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers in July. However, he is yet to open his account for the Reds in the six appearances he has made.
It’s fair to say that he won’t be challenging Grabban for a place in the starting line-up for a Championship fixture anytime soon.
Settling
That being said, the 22-year-old is still settling into life on Trentside. Having featured for Spain’s Under-21 side previously, he certainly has the pedigree to be a good acquisition.
As Lamouchi tends to opt for a 4-1-4-1 formation, the chances are that he’ll have to continue to settle for a place on the bench unless Grabban picks up an injury.
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Mir will be hoping he can open his account for the Reds after the international break. If he can hit some form, then he may be able to offer more serious competition to Forest’s £6 million man.