Nottingham Forest have finally found their Anthony Elanga replacement after signing Dan Ndoye, but Nuno Espírito Santo is far from finished in the transfer window.
Forest announced the Ndoye deal on Thursday in what was a club-record deal, securing his services for £34m on a five-year contract.
It didn’t take long for Reds fans to warm to the Swiss international after seeing Ndoye’s reaction to seeing the Forest kit for the first time, emphasising his excitement about his move to the City Ground.
Edu was delighted to sign Ndoye, but he and Espírito Santo clearly have more planned to ensure the Forest squad is well equipped to tackle European football, with a new report from John Percy outlining the plans for the rest of the window.
Nuno Espírito Santo maps out Nottingham Forest transfer business
In Forest’s 0-0 draw against Estoril, the second half team especially showed that more additions are required to ensure that the Reds can compete across the extra competitions.
Squad depth is obviously a priority, but Percy’s report for The Telegraph suggests that the recruitment team have more grand plans.
Percy said: “Nuno is under no illusions that this season will be much harder. His squad is still very much under construction, with at least five more signings required.
“The demands of Saturday-Thursday-Sunday matches will represent a daunting challenge. He wants the depth to cope with it, after experiencing that tricky balancing act with Wolves.”
Alongside Ndoye, Adama Traoré is a top target for Forest as Nuno looks to have two quality options on the right wing, making the Reds more dangerous from the bench.
However, there looks to be a glaring issue in the squad that needs to be addressed alongside the likes of Traoré.
Nottingham Forest desperately require depth at full-back
At the start of April, Ola Aina picked up an injury that ruled him out for four matches at the end of the 24/25 season, a period that emphasised the importance of Aina and Neco Williams being fit.
Both Alex Moreno and Harry Toffolo have departed the club, so there is a real lack of options in the event of an injury, something that must be addressed.
Before the window had even officially opened, Forest were linked with Ipswich’s Leif Davis as potential cover at left-back, but since then there’s been an obvious focus on issues further forward after Elanga’s departure.
Now, though, Edu and the recruitment staff must refocus on the full-back area to ensure that Espírito Santo’s side aren’t left in trouble going into what will be an incredibly busy fixture list.
Receive a digest of our best Nottingham Forest content each week direct to your mailbox
