Moving on fringe players was a key feature of the summer transfer window for Nottingham Forest.
The Reds brought in 13 new arrivals as they strengthened Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad. But equally important for the Portuguese was overseeing some deals heading in the opposite direction.
Nuno’s preference is to work with a small group to avoid players being left kicking their heels with little chance of game time. Prior to deadline day, he stated his ideal scenario would be to have a 22 or 23-man dressing room.
“The worst thing you can have is frustration (among the players),” Nuno said. "That's why one of the things I always believe is having everybody involved is better.”
Forest sanctioned several departures over the course of the summer and trimmed numbers further in the final hours of the window. Josh Bowler’s contract was terminated by mutual consent while Eric da Silva Moreira and Omar Richards joined Rio Ave on loan.
Despite the work done, the Reds still have a few players unlikely to see regular minutes at the City Ground this term. However, windows in some countries remain open and could provide potential exit routes, if required.
That could be the case for Jota Silva. A move to Sporting Lisbon fell through at the last minute on Monday, reportedly due to late registration by the Portuguese league.
The winger already found himself down the pecking order Trentside, following the arrivals of Dan Ndoye and Omari Hutchinson, and Forest strengthened their wide ranks further on deadline day with the capture of Dilane Bakwa. Getting a look-in will be tough for Jota.
According to the Daily Mail, finding a club in Turkey or the Middle East could now be an option for the Portuguese.
The window in Turkey closes on Friday, September 12. The window in Saudi Arabia closes on Tuesday, September 23.
Other countries could also provide a solution for Jota. In Belgium and in Switzerland the window remains open for almost another week, until next Monday (September 8), while the one in Greece runs until September 12 and for Serbia it is Wednesday, September 17.
As it stands, Forest will have to make some tough decisions when it comes to naming their 25-man Premier League squad for the 2025/26 campaign. They are currently over the limit by three. Defenders Jair Cunha and Zach Abbott are classed as Under-21 players (born on or after January 1, 2004) so do not count towards the total.
Moving on Jota and, potentially, striker Taiwo Awoniyi could help with trimming numbers. The latter was linked with a return to Germany over the summer and is behind Chris Wood, Igor Jesus and Arnaud Kalimuendo in the striker pecking order.
Forest might also consider the fitness of midfielder Nicolas Dominguez when deciding whether he makes the cut for the first half of the campaign. The Argentine is currently sidelined with a knee injury.
Senior squad members: Matz Sels, Angus Gunn, John Victor, Neco Williams, Willy Boly, Ola Aina, Murillo, Nikola Milenkovic, Morato, Nicolo Savona, Cuiabano, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Ryan Yates, Morgan Gibbs-White, Nicolas Dominguez, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Ibrahim Sangare, Elliot Anderson, Jota Silva, Dan Ndoye, Omari Hutchinson, James McAtee, Douglas Luiz, Dilane Bakwa, Taiwo Awoniyi, Chris Wood, Igor Jesus, Arnaud Kalimuendo.
Under-21s: Jair Cunha, Zach Abbott.
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