Rafael Benitez has played down Nottingham Forest’s chances of signing Karl Darlow in January, with the Newcastle United manager revealing that he’s “not interested in selling anyone” apart from Rob Elliot, so Forest’s hopes of recruiting their former goalkeeper appear very slim.
As per Nottingham Live, Benitez said in a press conference: “We are not really interested in selling anyone. The only one (goalkeeper) that is available in the window is Rob Elliot”. Peter O’Rourke of Football Insider revealed that Forest were in the race to sign the Newcastle outcast, but it’s unknown if he would be recruited to replace Costel Pantilimon or just provide cover.
Darlow made 111 appearances for the Reds before he was sold to Newcastle in 2014 but playing time has been slim for the 28-year-old at St James’ Park. Darlow made only 10 Premier League appearances last season and hasn’t featured at all in the top-flight this campaign.
Forest are overstocked between the sticks, with Jordan Smith, Luke Steele and Stephen Henderson all providing backup to the Romanian international. It’s hard to blame their current dip in form on one player, so Aitor Karanka signing Darlow in January seems unlikely.
Benitez’s comments also confirmed that the Reds would fail in any approach made.
