Nottingham Forest enter the January transfer window looking to add quality to Nuno Espirito Santo’s side, as they aim to consolidate their challenge for European football.
The transfer rumour mill never truly stops in football, with Forest being tipped as a destination for Harry Maguire one of the more outrageous links just hours into January.
Forwards seem to be what Espirito Santo is looking to add to his Forest squad. Baris Yilmaz has been linked with Forest whilst Forest want James McAtee to offer support for Morgan Gibbs-White in behind the striker.
Raul Moro was linked with Forest too as a potential forward option, as the club looks to move away from summer target Santiago Gimenez, despite Gimenez being available in January.
The most concrete link has been with Brazilian striker Yuri Alberto, with Forest chasing Alberto extensively as January approached. However, recent comments from Gimenez’s Director of Football at Feyenoord could be seen as a warning sign ahead of any potential move for Alberto.
Feyenoord Director on why Santiago Gimenez didn’t join Nottingham Forest
Speaking to De Telegraaf’s Kick-Off podcast, via Sport Witness, Feyenoord Director of Football Dennis te Kloese said that Gimenez ended up staying in The Netherlands because Forest didn’t offer a good enough proposition to the striker.
Te Kloese said: “Gimenez was able to go to Nottingham in the summer. We had given him permission to have discussions with Nottingham and with another club too, by the way.
“But he didn’t get a very warm feeling about it either. It was brought to him that you are an addition to the selection. It is more fun for such a boy when they say: you are the number one.
“Then he started to doubt himself a bit. I said: you are in here. In any case, always number one. And if you are top fit and start playing well again – after all, the second half of the season was a bit less – clubs will come again and we will help you with that too.”
With Forest offering Chris Wood a new contract, any striker that the Forest owner signs could well see the same fate that te Kloese described. Therefore, a deal for Yuri Alberto may be more difficult than expected for Forest to finalise.
Yuri Alberto has to accept the role at Forest that Gimenez wouldn’t
Alberto has encouraged clubs to bid for him in January, making it seem a relatively simple deal for Marinakis and Forest to conclude.
However, if Alberto is unwilling to accept the very role that Gimenez rejected, Espirito Santo will find himself in a similar position looking for competition for Wood up front.
Wood broke Forest’s Premier League scoring record this season, making him undroppable in the Forest lineup which ironically is an issue for Espirito Santo when looking for an addition with any genuine quality up front.
Strikers such as Gimenez and Alberto won’t accept a supporting role at Forest, an issue that will likely continue to come up as Espirito Santo aims to strengthen his squad in the January transfer window.
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