Nottingham Forest did great work in the summer transfer window and perhaps the most pleasing aspect was that in excess of 20 players departed the club either on loan or permanently.
The Reds added 11 players to the ranks with two of those – David Carmo and Marko Stamenic – joining Olympiacos on loan for the 2024/25 campaign.
It’s been a great season for the Reds so far. Gary Lineker has changed his mind on Forest and other pundits have followed suit after predicting relegation for the team this season.
Nuno Espirito Santo had some work to do in the summer and for a while, it seemed as though the club might sign a goalkeeper, with Forest heavily linked with Caoimhin Kelleher.
Instead, the Forest head coach stuck his faith in Matz Sels and decided to offload the underperforming Matt Turner and Odysseas Vlachodimos to Crystal Palace and Newcastle respectively.
Matt Turner suggests he’s glad he left Nottingham Forest
The 30-year-old goalkeeper was a surprise signing for Palace in the summer. He moved on loan to Selhurst Park and has been playing second fiddle to former Forest loanee Dean Henderson.
Game time has come at a premium for Turner. With Henderson firmly established as the number one in the Premier League, the American has been the club’s cup goalkeeper during 2024/25.
After keeping a clean sheet against Stockport County in the FA Cup on Sunday, Turner was interviewed. He delivered an intriguing response that suggested he was glad to be out of the City Ground.
He said: “It was amazing to be here, to see the crowd, feel the energy, feel so welcome as well. It’s my second time at Selhurst Park.
“I played here last season, but I was on the away side. I much prefer being here and being on the home side.”
Forest need to find a buyer for Turner in the summer
The hope among the Forest fan base will be that Palace buy Turner. The chances of recouping the £10 million that the club parted with for the goalkeeper look slim but he has zero future at Forest.
Turner was pretty hapless for Forest. His distribution for a goalkeeper in the modern era was truly awful and high-profile errors came in games against Liverpool, Manchester United and Brentford.
In 21 appearances for Forest, Turner conceded 31 goals and kept just three clean sheets, with his performances showcasing why Arsenal never really gave him a chance between the posts.
This comment from Turner doesn’t come as a major shock. He will probably know deep down that his Forest career is over and it must rankle a little bit that the team have kicked on this season following his departure.
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