Plymouth Argyle signed a striker this week and some Nottingham Forest fans might have hoped to see a door swing open for Luke Jephcott.
Niall Ennis signed permanent terms with the Pilgrims from Premier League side Wolves.
He made his debut as a substitute in a 2-1 win away at Sunderland on Tuesday night and looked impressive.
Boss Ryan Lowe has moved quickly to quash any suggestion, however, that the 21-year-old has been added as a replacement for Jephcott.
The Athletic claimed last week that the 15-goal League One talisman was among a list of targets being considered by Forest.
Lowe, however, confirmed that the new addition to his ranks hasn’t been signed to replace the Wales under-21 international.
He told the Plymouth Herald: “Niall has always been on our radar. People might look at it and say ‘Jephcott is going’, but he’s going nowhere.
“He’s out player, he’s in fantastic form – he’s doing great.
“We are not in a position where we need to sell. People might be worried because we have brought Niall in and think he’s a replacement for Luke. He’s certainly not.”
Should Lowe’s defiance put Forest off?
They shouldn’t really and Lowe’s bravado is admirable but he will know that if a good offer is received, Plymouth will sell.
Lowe has previously claimed that Jephcott could be worth up to £3.5 million, hinting at Plymouth’s breaking point.
At that price the youngster wouldn’t be a bad addition.
He is only 20 and is already banging goals in for fun in the league below the Championship.
Forest have Lewis Grabban and Lyle Taylor in their ranks but both players are now in their thirties.
There will come a time when the Reds need to scour the market for a younger model in attack and why not League One or Two?
Forest’s recruitment from the lower leagues has been pretty much non-existent and in the coming windows, that needs to change.
For now, Lowe remains defiant on his star man.
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