Nottingham Forest were desperate to sign Jack Colback over the summer, but a managerial change at Newcastle United saw him stay at St James’ Park to fight for his place. Manager Steve Bruce left the 29-year-old out of United’s 25-man Premier League squad, however, which has raised uncertainty over his long-term future.
According to Mark Douglas of Chronicle Live, Colback could be sold for a low price in January, so Forest should look to capitalise on the situation. The £40k-per-week midfielder had a successful stint on loan at the City Ground (January 31, 2018 – May 31, 2018) (July 20, 2018 – May 31, 2019), making 55 appearances in all competitions and may be open to a return.
The 29-year-old would surely be open to a permanent move away from Newcastle, but he could also consider a short-term loan to get regular playing time before assessing his options next summer. Colback’s contract is up in 2020 and it’s highly unlikely he’ll be handed an extension by the Magpies, so the winter transfer window could see him end a six-year association with the club.
Sabri Lamouchi isn’t short on options in midfield (Samba Sow, Alfa Semedo, Ben Watson, John Bostock, Ryan Yates), but he may want to offset the potential loss of Liam Bridcutt and Claudio Yacob – two out-of-favour players likely to be sold in January.
