Ahead of Nottingham Forest's opening game of the Premier League season, the club has been very active in the transfer market.
This season, the club will be competing in the Europa League alongside the domestic competitions, leading to manager Nuno Espirito Santo expressing concern about the team's squad depth in his pre-match press conference: "The players are not supermen, we are going to need to rotate them. That's a major problem with the intensity and demands of the games."
Since these comments, Forest have unveiled Omari Hutchinson as their most expensive signing of the summer player. The addition of Hutchinson to the squad may go some way to easing Espirito Santo's depth anxieties, and the player has already shared his willingness to contribute: “I’m going to give it my all, and I’m looking forward to the challenge as it’s a new chapter for me, but I feel ready.”
The club is also on the verge of signing Arnaud Kalimuendo from Rennes, pending a medical. These signings should go some way to helping Espirito Santo's squad depth concerns, and the club is now looking to add a cherry on top of their recent transfers by signing an impressive youth star.
Nottingham Forest set to sign Celtic "sensation"
Football Insider have reported that Nottingham Forest are also closing in on a deal to sign 15-year-old Celtic academy star Dara Jikiemi.
Pete O'Rourke, who shared the transfer story, has described the defender as a "teenage sensation". Jikiemi has been involved with youth football for Scotland and has captained the under-15s side despite being one of the younger members of the team.
Jikiemi is equally well regarded in the Celtic academy as he is in the Scotland youth system and has been on Forest's radar since April. O'Rourke has said that Forest are currently "advancing in talks" with the defender to poach him from the UK giants' academy.
Forest's next generation of talent
At only 15 years old, it may be a few years before fans start hearing about Jikiemi being considered for the first team; however, Forest do have some impressive talents that may be called up to the first team this season to help with the heavy schedule.
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19-year-old Zach Abbot has already started breaking into the Forest first team, having made two League Cup and one FA Cup appearances over the last two seasons. While the path into the first team is blocked by players like Murillo, Nikola Milenkovic and new signing Jair Cunha, there may once again be minutes for him in the early rounds of the domestic cups or if Forest face any weaker sides in the Europa League.
In the more attacking areas, Isaac Davies is a player who could make the step-up this season. The 17-year-old attacking midfielder has impressed in the Under 18's Premier League, with a notable appearance being when he came off the bench to score a hat-trick in a 4-1 victory over Leeds. In his 39 appearances in the youth league, Davies has managed eight goals and six assists, making him a prime candidate for first-team promotion.
Aside from the players in Forest's youth system, the club have also focused on signing players on the younger side for the first team in this summer's transfer window. This indicates that the Jikiemi signing, the development of the aforementioned youngsters and Forest's first-team transfer business are all part of an overall club focus on developing younger players and bringing longevity to the team.