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Nottingham Forest want defender who wowed Thierry Henry, he’s not played for over a year

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Nottingham Forest are going to be going in search of new players this summer.

The Reds have qualified for Europe for the first time in three decades, with the UEFA Conference League going to be on the agenda in 2025/26.

With that in mind, Forest head coach Nuno Espirito Santo will want to ensure that the squad is well-stocked, with the lack of depth arguably costing the Reds a Champions League place last season.

Anthony Elanga is being linked with Newcastle and it remains to be seen whether or not the Reds will manage to keep hold of the player who scored six goals and registered 12 assists last season.

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Nottingham Forest eye Chancel Mbemba

According to Bild, Forest are considering making a play to sign former Newcastle defender Mbemba on a free transfer this summer.

The player was sidelined by Marseille last season following a failed move to Saudi Arabia and he could move to the Premier League ahead of the new campaign.

Mbemba, 30, made 85 appearances for Marseille in total and has also made 188 appearances for Porto during his career to date.

The central defender who can also operate as a full-back played 59 times for Newcastle earlier in his career and has European experience on his CV.

Mbemba wowed Thierry Henry

The defender was a regular in the Marseille team back in 2022 and he caught Henry’s eye during a game against PSG.

Henry said: “I thought I was watching Cafu at one point.”

Mbemba will naturally be a little bit rusty when he does sign for a new club, and the fact he’s not played for a year does provide a cause for concern.

However, a defender to act as backup to Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo does look to be on the shortlist ahead of the new season.

Morato, David Carmo and Willy Boly will also be at the club and perhaps landing another option on a free transfer would be better than actually forking out a fee for someone.