Nottingham Forest have overseen some excellent business this summer as they prepare to compete in Europe for the first time in three decades.
The Reds have strengthened Nuno Espirito Santo's squad in a number of departments as owner Evangelos Marinakis has splashed the cash. The likes of Igor Jesus, Dan Ndoye, James McAtee and Omari Hutchinson all have the potential to impress in the Garibaldi.
The club's record in the transfer market has been superb in recent windows, and they will hope their work this summer enables them to kick on again. But as with every team, Forest haven't always got it right when it comes to making new signings.
Some players have made more of an impact Trentside than others. Below, NottinghamshireLive delves through the archives to take a look at some of the Reds' strangest signings of recent times.
10. Abdoulaye Diallo
The goalkeeper was signed while Sabri Lamouchi was still in charge, in September 2020. He penned a one-year deal when he joined, with the option for a further 12 months beyond that - but it never seemed likely the Reds would take that up.
Injury troubles didn’t help, although he was described as struggling to catch a cold by one observer who witnessed his efforts in training. And while he did turn out for the Under-23s, he never got on the pitch for the first-team. The closest he came was being named on the substitutes’ bench for a 2-0 defeat at home to Norwich City - the only time he was included in a match squad.
9. Rafik Djebbour
The Algerian striker joined Forest for 1.5 million euros back in January 2014. He arrived at the City Ground boasting an outrageous record for Olympiacos, having scored 39 goals in just 56 Greek Super League games. He even announced himself to Reds fans with a debut goal against newly-promoted Yeovil Town. However, there were question marks against his effort in training and the forward's contract was subsequently terminated in the summer of 2014, six months after he signed.
Get breaking Forest news sent direct to your phone
Join our Nottingham Forest WhatsApp group and get the latest breaking news, interviews and opinion sent straight to your phone, plus matchday team news and live updates of all the action. Just click here and select ‘Join Community’ to get started. The only proviso is that you must have WhatsApp on your phone to participate. No one will be able to see your personal information and you will only receive messages from the NottinghamshireLive Reds writers.
We will not spam your WhatsApp feed with constant messages, but you will receive updates from us daily with the latest Reds stories. If you later decide to opt out, just go to the name at the top of your screen and click 'Exit Group'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. If you are curious, you can click here to read our Privacy Notice.
8. Kyle Ebecilio
Young Dutch talent Ebecilio looked an exciting prospect when he arrived in Nottingham. An ex-Arsenal youth star, who came close to breaking through under Arsene Wenger, he had made headlines in the Eredivise for FC Twente as a teenager before joining the Reds on a season-long loan.
But after just five first-team appearances, few of which were positive, a serious hamstring injury ended his Forest carer prematurely. Upon his return to FC Twente, the midfielder was diagnosed with Guillan Barre Syndrome - an extremely rare disease in which the body's immune system attacks the nervous system.
7. Thomas Lam
Lam couldn’t make up his mind as to whether he was a defender or an attacker during his spell Trentside. The Finland international started his time with the Reds by scoring twice in his first two games. That proved to be pretty much the high point. He ended up going on loan to FC Twente, before joining PEC Zwolle 12 months after he had put pen to paper with Forest.
6. Kevin Gomis
Gomis joined the Reds on loan from Nice in 2014 but most Forest fans never got the chance to see him play. His lone appearance came in a 1-0 defeat away at Barnsley, and the 25-year-old even picked up a booking for good measure.
Gomis featured more regularly for Ligue 1 Nice upon his return, but in 2016 made the free transfer to Scotland with Dundee. After just a season north of the border he was released.
5. Joao Teixeira
The young Portuguese midfielder arrived at the City Ground on loan with plenty of first-team experience under his belt with Benfica, Vitoria and Wolves. But his opportunities to pull on the Garibaldi were limited to Under-23 games only.
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Sky Sports deal
4. Djamel Abdoun
Another ex-Olympiacos player who didn't exactly make much of an impact Trentside. The winger arrived at the City Ground with plenty of expectation. He had turned out on 11 occasions for Algeria, including at the 2010 World Cup, and boasted Paris Saint-Germain (in youth football) and Manchester City on his CV, but failed to impress during his 22 league appearances for Forest.
3. Khaled Al Rashidi
Another player who arrived with next-to-no knowledge of the league he was stepping in to. The Kuwaiti goalkeeper went one less than Gomis, though, never getting to pull on the jersey for the Reds.
He did have some tough competition ahead of him at the time, with Karl Darlow and Dorus de Vries both in the squad, while injury problems also did not help. But was it really worth the trouble Forest went through to get him a work permit? The approval finally came in January 2013, and though Al Rashidi provided unused back-up towards the end of that season, he was out the exit door just a year later. Headed back to ply his trade in Kuwait.
2. Lica
The Portuguese featured just seven times after signing from Porto in a deal worth about £300,000, with Reds fans hopeful that they had signed the next big thing. The international winger had boasted an impressive goalscoring tally from out wide but did nothing on Trentside. He headed to Granada after his contract was cancelled, but struggled to do much better there, with just two games under his belt.
1. Nicklas Bendtner
The Dane arrived amid much fanfare, and a whole lot of interest in his homeland. But he failed to live up to expectations. Bendtner had plenty of promise as a youngster, having made over 100 appearances for Arsene Wenger's Arsenal before turning 21. After loans at Sunderland, Juventus and a permanent move to Wolfsburg, he wound up at the City Ground with a point to prove. Yet, during his 17 appearances in the Garibaldi, he scored only twice for Forest. His stay on the banks of the Trent proved to be a short and unsuccessful one.
Who is Forest's strangest ever signing? Have your say in the comments below