Nottingham Forest appear to have recognised that another striker is required during the January window, but where will they find one?
Will they look close to home or spread the net far and wide?
Benefits are to be found in both approaches.
Raiding a domestic rival would bring further experience of English football to the City Ground.
When it comes to taming the beast which is the Championship, such qualities should not be underestimated.
Hidden gems can, however, be unearthed in foreign fields.
Asking prices also tend to be lower the more long-distance transfer calls are in nature.
Value has been found down such paths before.
You only need to turn the clock back as far as the summer to see that unknown quantities can offer undoubted qualities.
Few knew much about Sabri Lamouchi when he arrived in the dugout.
General
Ditto Brice Samba when he rocked up between the sticks, or Samba Sow as he slotted into a role as midfield general.
Nobody is asking questions of the logic behind those deals now.
Will a different approach be taken in January though?
The ongoing quest to land another goalscorer is leading Forest down familiar paths.
The Telegraph are once again reporting that Dwight Gayle may be on the Reds’ radar, although there is a supposed £15 million price tag to contend with there.
Dundee United star Lawrence Shankland is another Brit whose name continues to pop up.
Forest legend Kenny Burns has said in the Nottingham Post of the search for firepower: “My worry is that Forest will end up bringing in a couple of players from abroad and I’m convinced that won’t work.”
Young Boys frontman Guillaume Hoarau is, according to Swiss news outlet Nau, another of those the Reds have added to the pot.
Reports
__VIDEO__
Should such deals be avoided?
Burns has added: “If Forest could get Gayle on loan, pay half his wages which would be around £30,000 if you believe reports and a fee of about £3m of £4m then I think that would be good business.
“He’s a proven finisher in this division having netted 20-odd for Newcastle previously before bagging 24 last season for West Brom, so clearly knows where the net is, he’ll be chomping at the bit do get playing football again.”
All valid points, but there is no guarantee that Newcastle will want to sanction another loan.
Or that the doors at St James’ Park will open at all.
The likes of Shankland may also prove tricky to land mid-season, especially when competition for signatures is taken into account.
Looking a little further afield is no bad thing.
Treading with caution should be the favoured approach, but bodies of any kind would be welcome at present.
Lewis Grabban cannot continue to carry the burden single-handedly, with Rafa Mir looking like a write-off, with alternatives in the final third now considered to be essential.
Regardless of certain entries on their birth certificate.
Receive a digest of our best Nottingham Forest content each week direct to your mailbox
