Although it seems like just yesterday that Nottingham Forest’s eventful summer deadline day ended, the January transfer window is quickly drawing near.
When the window reopens, the Reds probably won’t have much work to do. They added 13 new players over the summer, the majority of whom have already begun to make an impression in the Premier League.
But with the club eager to progress this season, January could still prove to be an important month. There is still a fair way to go, and much can change, but we take a look at what might be on Forest’s transfer agenda.
Increasing the firepower
The Reds increased their offensive threat in the summer by signing AC Milan attacker Divock Origi on a temporary loan. Callum Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Elanga were also included.
They have had trouble scoring recently, despite some beautiful build-up play that did not result in goals. Since their 3-2 loss against Manchester United in August, Steve Cooper’s team has not scored more than once in a game, although they have scored three goals in their last five league games.
The Reds definitely need to improve on that. However, some of it can be attributed to the fact that the team is still coming together and the players are still catching up. There is no doubt that Forest have the ability to give someone a good thrashing when they are fully in sync.
The international break means Awoniyi might not actually miss too many games. Even so, given the Nigerian was also sidelined for a chunk of last season, come January the Reds might want to assess how much cover they have.
Origi and Chris Wood are two different kinds of strikers. It will be interesting to see if they can replace the vacuum left by their teammate’s absence, and the result could affect the club’s plans for the winter transfer window.
