An important January transfer window is just around the corner for Nottingham Forest as 2024 nears its end.
Head coach Nuno Espirito Santo already has a strong squad in place so the Reds shouldn’t need to do too much work next month. However, a few key deals could make a big difference as the club look to keep challenging towards the top end of the table.
The transfer rumour mill is already in full swing ahead of the new year. Below, we round up the latest Forest news and gossip.
Defender stance
Atalanta are said to be “carefully evaluating” defender Ben Godfrey’s situation amid links to the Reds. The 26-year-old has struggled for regular game time since joining the Italian side from Everton in the summer, and it appears he could soon be on the move again.
According to TuttoAtalanta, Godfrey faces a crucial few weeks as his club considers his future. It is said a January loan could be a possibility, with a return to the Premier League mooted as being a good option.
Forest are said to be among a number of clubs keen on the player, who can play at full-back as well as in central defence. Wolverhampton Wanderers, Leicester City and Roma have also been credited with an interest.
Previous reports suggested the three Premier League clubs had already made “some concrete enquiries”. Roma had reportedly “taken note” but not yet shown their hand.
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Premier League
Contract latest
Details of Nottingham Forest’s contract discussions with striker Chris Wood have emerged. The front man’s current deal is due to expire at the end of the campaign, but the Reds are keen to keep him at the City Ground and have been in talks about fresh terms for the New Zealand international.
According to the Daily Mail, the club initially offered Wood a one-year extension. It is said the 33-year-old is keen for at least a two-year contract but is hopeful of an agreement being reached.
"Whenever it happens, it happens. It's not something I can control or worry about," Wood previously said when asked about the possibility of a new contract. "I can't let it affect me. These things take time and I just have to worry about scoring goals, winning games and doing well for this club.
"I still have ambitions and drive to play long into my 30s. It's how you take care of your body and how you take care of nutrition off the pitch, it's huge. I want to play for as long as I can."
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Pro terms
Teenager Fuad Smith has put pen to paper on his first professional contract with the Reds. The young midfielder joined the club in 2017 as a 10-year-old and has now signed a three-year deal.
Smith has been a regular for the Under-18s this season and earned a place on the bench for the B Team against Morecambe in October. He has been tipped for a bright future.
Head of Academy Chris McGuane said “We are delighted that Fuad has signed his first professional contract at the club having been with us for over seven years in the Academy. It is a moment both he and his family can cherish in recognition of his development as a player and person during his time with us.
“Fuad is a player who is an exciting attacking talent, with the ability to create goal scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates. He has an exciting future in front of him and we look forward to seeing and being a part of his development for the next three years.”
Transfer advice
Forest goalkeeper Matt Turner has been handed some advice as he continues to contend with a lack of goal time on loan at Crystal Palace. And the 30-year-old American might also have to face a few home truths about his time in English football so far.
Turner joined Arsenal in the summer of 2022 then switched to the City Ground a year later as he sought to establish himself as a No.1. It didn’t quite go to plan for him on the banks of the Trent and he is now at Selhurst Park.
Former keeper Kasey Keller also made the journey across the Atlantic during his career but took a different path to his compatriot by establishing himself at Millwall before going on to represent Leicester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton and Fulham. Now 55, he has been asked what Turner needs to do in order to avoid losing his starting place in the US national team.
He told GOAL: “He’s getting picked because there is nobody else to challenge him! That’s a tricky one when you look at the situation. (Brad) Friedel went three-and-a-half or four years at Liverpool without playing and then Brad was able to get to Blackburn in the Championship, and then they get promoted and he went on to have a great Premier League career.
“The hard part for Matt is, originally going to Arsenal was a hard push at that stage to say you’re going to break into this. But then when you go to a club like Forest, and then you go to Palace, there has to be a point where you’re either good enough for the Premier or you’re not.”
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