Nottingham Forest outcast set for League One escape after zero appearances in three years

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As well as incoming signings, Nottingham Forest will want to clear out space in Nuno Espírito Santo’s squad to make room for the added quality.

To kick off the clear-out, Forest sold Ramon Sosa to Palmeiras after just a year at the City Ground, reflecting that the winger never quite settled in European football.

There have also been attempts to sell goalkeeper Matt Turner, but Turner’s move to Lyon stalled as the French side dealt with their financial irregularities.

Some deals just make sense for all parties, though, and Nottingham Forest News understands that one forgotten member of the Forest squad is set for a much-needed exit from the club.

Reading set to sign forgotten Nottingham Forest man

The summer transfer window of 2022 saw Steve Cooper bring in 22 players to build a squad capable of competing at Premier League level.

Of course, such an influx will have inevitably meant that not all the deals would work out, with Josh Bowler’s transfer from Blackpool a prime example.

After not a single competitive appearance for Forest in three years, transfer expert Graeme Bailey has told Nottingham Forest News that Bowler is very close to completing a move to League One Reading FC.

The move is set to be a permanent one, a welcome relief for all involved, as the 26-year-old has been limited to loan switches since 2022, none of which have been profitable on the pitch.

Bowler will be delighted to kickstart his career in a new permanent home, but looking back on his arrival at Forest, it’s clear that the writing was on the wall from the start.

Josh Bowler was never handed a chance at Nottingham Forest

Bowler arrived at Forest on the back of scoring seven goals in the Championship for Blackpool in the previous season. By no means a bad return, but not one that suggested he was ready to step up to Premier League football.

Marinakis clearly felt this way as rather than arriving at the City Ground, Bowler was immediately sent on loan to Olympiacos without even conducting an interview with the club.

He would make seven appearances for Olympiacos before being recalled and sent back to Blackpool in January, again emphasising that the club clearly didn’t rate his chances of influencing a Premier League squad.

With the permanent move to Reading edging closer, Bowler can look back on a rather torrid time at Forest, a deal that looked to be doomed to fail from the off.