When looking at the players Nottingham Forest have been linked with this summer, the Reds don’t appear to have much in the way of spending money. Martin O’Neill has been tasked with delivering promotion next season, but Forest are searching for bargains, loan deals and free transfers which could make it difficult to achieve a top-six finish in 2019/20.
Evangelos Marinakis is looking to sell Joao Carvalho to raise funds for O’Neill and could sell Joe Lolley for an alarmingly low figure of £15m this summer too. Forest have been priced out of signing Jack Colback on loan and could miss out on Sam Byram for a similar reason. The players Forest are making headway with won’t cost them much to sign.
In goal, Forest are considering a loan move for Manchester City’s Aro Muric. In defence, the Reds were linked with out-of-contract trio Tom Lockyer, Caner Cavlan and Martin Olsson in addition to Nathan McGinley of League Two. In midfield, O’Neill has weighed up a loan move for Harrison Reed if Colback is unattainable and has been linked with £350k-rated Brandon O’Neill.
On the wing, Forest have been linked with £1.77m-rated Hosam Aiesh and out-of-contract man Albert Adomah. Up front, the East Midlands outfit have looked at Lawrence Shankland on a free transfer and could instead promote Tyler Walker & Brennan Johnson to the first-team to save signing a new face.
Forest might have to be thrifty in the summer transfer market which could lower expectations ahead of the new season. Time will tell if being fiscally responsible works.
