Nottingham Forest are close to the signing of Gelson Martins, reports are claiming. The winger is currently with Monaco but could now be on the move next month.
The Reds are naturally going to attack the transfer market in the New Year. Evangelos Marinakis will likely back new head coach Nuno Espirito Santo with some quality as Forest bid to avoid relegation.
Espirito Santo looks to be edging near to the first signing of his tenure. It’s no secret that the Reds need new wingers, with Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi the only two currently at the club.
Forest in advanced talks to sign Martins
According to Mais Futebol, the Reds are now in advanced negotiations to sign the 28-year-old winger. It’s believed that the player did also have interest from the USA and Russia but he fancies a crack at the Premier League.
Espirito Santo must quickly get familiar with the squad. He will want to make sure that he has a clear idea of who he wants at the club and who he doesn’t in the coming weeks.
From the report, it’s not clear what type of deal this will be. However, Martins hasn’t played yet this season so perhaps a loan or short-term solution will be in the thoughts of Forest.
Who is Gelson Martins?
The Portuguese performer is a tricky winger who has been called ‘special’ by Diego Simeone in the past. He only played 12 games with Atletico Madrid and it’s perhaps his form with Sporting Lisbon where he’s most remembered.
During his time with the Portuguese giants, he scored 27 goals and claimed 30 assists from 140 appearances. During that time, he was linked with a move to Arsenal who saw a £26 million bid rejected for his services.
Martins can operate on either flank, although he’s spent the vast majority of his career on the right. Who Scored claims that he likes to dribble, play short passes and loves to get back and make tackles.
Rumour rating: 6/10 – The jury is going to have to remain out here until we see what sort of deal we are taking Martins on. Given that he’s not played football all season, hopefully, Forest can be sensible with this one.
Still, he is a player with a pretty useful amount of experience and with Forest needing a new winger, it does make a little bit of sense to get this one over the line.
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