Nottingham Forest enjoyed a quality transfer window on the face things with the club addressing a number of areas within the squad.
Eleven new players were added to the ranks, with two of them – Marko Stamenic and David Carmo – joining Olympiacos on season-long loan deals.
The most telling bit was that over 20 players were offloaded if you include last year’s underwhelming loans all returning to their clubs and clearing the decks was required.
Another Forest player – Anthony Elanga – was linked with a move to Newcastle on transfer deadline day but Forest stood firm on their £50 million valuation.
That interest might not go away and if he were to leave in January or next summer, Forest would absolutely need a replacement for him.
Journalist picks perfect replacement for Anthony Elanga
It’s quite clear that Elanga is going nowhere for now. The window is closed until January and even then Forest might choose to stand firm.
Next summer could be very different though. If Newcastle get themselves into Europe, Eddie Howe might tempt the club to part with £50 million for Elanga’s signature.
That would leave Forest seeking a replacement and Forest Focus host, Matt Davies would love to see Brennan Johnson back at the club.
The Tottenham man scored a late winner in the Carabao Cup last night, with former Forest promotion hero Djed Spence also scoring.
He posted on X: “If #NFFC end up selling Elanga in a year for massive money then come back home Brennan.”
Johnson facing crossroads at Tottenham
It would have proved a heartwrenching decision for Johnson to turn his back on Forest and sign for Tottenham when a £47.5 million bid was accepted 12 months ago.
The academy graduate had helped the club win promotion to the Premier League and then scored eight times as Steve Cooper secured survival.
Johnson was the makeweight as Forest bid to comply with financial fair play – something which Forest ended up failing for selling him too late anyway.
At Tottenham, he doesn’t have the academy credit in the bank and just lately he’s come underfire from supporters – to the extreme that he’s deleted his social media accounts!
At this stage, there is no saying that his Tottenham days are numbered, with Ange Postecoglou backing him in the media before last night’s League Cup clash with Coventry.
Whether Johnson would be available for transfer in 12 months remains to be seen.
If he was on the market – and the price was right – the player would surely jump at the chance to play regular football again in the Premier League for a club very close to his heart.
Last season, Johnson scored five goals and claimed 10 assists in the Premier League – making his figures almost identical to those of Elanga.
Forest will always hope to look forward, of course, but Johnson has proved in the past that he’s a very capable Premier League player.
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