Nottingham Forest will enter the transfer market in the summer as Chris Hughton tried to reshape his squad.
It looks set to be a busy summer for the boss. Plenty of players could leave and the challenge is to ensure the squad is better equipped for a promotion battle.
Forest’s squad has been disjointed for quite some times. There has been a real imbalance and Hughton must address that.
One thing he will certainly be looking to change is the average age. Right now, it’s far too high and lowering it would be a great start.
With that in mind, some of the club’s young talents could be handed a chance to shine.
We look at five emerging talents who could shine in the Forest first-team next season.
Jordan Gabriel
With Carl Jenkinson out of favour and Cyrus Christie returning to Fulham after his loan, there is a spot available at right-back.
Gabriel’s season hasn’t quite finished yet, with Blackpool set to embark on a play-off campaign.
He’s played plenty of minutes in Neil Critchley’s team and deserves a chance to make the step-up to Championship football.
Gabriel did play the first two games of Forest’s 2020/21 campaign, before heading out on loan.
He looks ready and deserves a chance to impress next season.
Brennan Johnson
Another player out on loan is the versatile forward, with Lincoln reaping the benefits of some fine form.
Johnson has scored 12 goals and claimed 13 assists for the Imps this season and they too have a play-off campaign ahead of them.
The 19-year-old has eight appearances for the Reds to his name but is now deserving of a proper chance.
Johnson can operate on the left and he can play through the middle as a No.10, making him versatile.
Seeing how much Johnson has developed at Lincoln is exciting and Forest could benefit next season.
Tyrese Fornah
Some comments from the midfielder earlier this week show that Fornah isn’t lacking in confidence.
The 21-year-old played 44 times for Plymouth in League One and should get a chance to impress Hughton.
As a central midfielder, he could benefit from the fact that Forest aren’t blessed with an abundance of options.
Ryan Yates and Cafu are still at the club, but Jack Colback and Harry Arter appear out of favour.
As a result, the young midfielder could be handed a chance to impress during pre-season. It’s down to him to grasp the opportunity with both hands.
Alex Mighten
An interesting one considering the youngster played plenty of games for Forest last season.
It didn’t quite feel like a breakthrough campaign though, with Hughton often preferring more experienced options on the wing.
With Anthony Knockaert and Sammy Ameobi unlikely to be at the club next season, Mighten should receive more game time.
The 19-year-old is very exciting and his direct style is a useful asset for the Reds to call upon.
Mighten scored three goals last season and he’ll hope to build on that during 2021/22.
Dale Taylor
An outside option to say the least but it looks like the Northern Ireland youngster will have a bright future.
Taylor began the campaign with the under-18 ranks but finished it playing regular in Andy Reid’s under-23 team.
He scored against QPR on the final day of the under-23 season and was beginning to look a real menace.
Forest will try and sign a striker in the summer but that doesn’t mean Taylor won’t receive a chance during pre-season.
The youngster was signed from Linfield last summer. His boss there, David Healy called him ‘exceptional’ after scoring his first senior goal at just 15.
Forest could do with some energy in their attack and why not Taylor?
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