Head coach Steve Cooper has a week left to put the finishing touches to his Nottingham Forest squad for the second half of the season as the January transfer deadline looms.
The Reds have brought in three new faces so far while allowing Loic Bade and Loic Mbe Soh to head in the opposite direction. Further incomings and outgoings are expected before the window closes, but this month will not see anything like the overhaul which took place in the summer.
A British record 22 signings came through the doors as Forest prepared for life in the Premier League. But back then, it wasn't just about the number of arrivals.
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The headlines about the club's shopping spree rarely took into account quite how many players left the City Ground. Some big names and key figures were among the outgoings. We take a look at how they have all been getting on.
Tobias Figueiredo: A free agent after his Forest contract expired, he stayed in the UK, linking up with Hull City. A regular in the starting XI to begin with, it seems he has now dropped down the pecking order.
The Portuguese has made 24 appearances in total for the Tigers. His last three Championship run-outs have been as a substitute, however, with his most recent start coming against Fulham in the FA Cup.
Gaetan Bong: The 34-year-old is still without a club. There has been no word on what the future may hold for the left-back, or any official announcement that he might have retired.
Carl Jenkinson: Having had a loan spell at Melbourne at the back end of last season, the former Arsenal man remained in Australia following the expiration of his Reds deal. He is now with Newcastle Jets.
Earlier this month, he was on the receiving end of some harsh criticism for failing to close an opponent down in a move which led to a goal as the Jets lost 2-0 to Sydney FC. According to Australian website Keep Up, Paramount+ co-commentator Andy Harper said: “Look at Carl Jenkinson here, the number 25. He’s the captain, (former) English international, English Premier League experience. There he is, just on the edge of the box, he’s got the front (position) on Mak, and then what? Clock-off time. How do you stay in a game, how do you stay in the competition when senior players are dishing up that?"
James Garner: Plenty of Forest fans would love to have seen the midfielder back at the City Ground, following two impressive loan spells. But with Manchester United leaving it late to make a decision on his future, by that time, the Reds were already well stocked in the centre of the pitch.
He completed a deadline day switch to Everton, in a deal which could be worth up to £15m. The 21-year-old hasn't seen too much game time, however.
Having had to be patient when it came to trying to get a look-in, he then suffered an injury which has ruled him out since November. Garner is due to return next month, when he will have a new manager to impress, following the dismissal of Frank Lampard.
Philip Zinckernagel: The Dane made the switch from Watford to Forest's fellow Evangelos Marinakis-owned club Olympiacos in June. But just three months later, he was on the move again. Having fallen out of favour under Carlos Corberean, he went on to join Standard Liege on loan.
Zinckernagel has fared much better in Belgium. He got off to a flying start, with a well-taken brace on his debut, and has now notched up 12 league appearances.
Max Lowe: Having returned to parent club Sheffield United, injuries have hampered the defender again this season. He is now back fit, but has spoken about the impact talk about his future had at the start of the campaign.
“It was really difficult back then. I’d worked really hard in pre-season to try and let everyone see what I was all about but I’d never been in that situation before, with all the stuff that was going on," he has said. “What really helped was the gaffer sitting down with me and letting me know I was going to be staying here. That he wanted me to stay here. That was a great conversation and I can’t speak fondly enough of him.”
Djed Spence: Shining on loan at the City Ground resulted in plenty of clubs casting an eye over the right-back. A summer saga ended with Tottenham Hotspur winning the race for his signature.
He has struggled to get a look-in for Spurs, though, with each of his six appearances so far coming as a substitute. Boss Antonio Conte has said: “I was very clear at the start when I said this signing is a really good prospect. He’s a young player and the club wanted to invest in this player.” Spence's lack of game time has led to plenty of debate among Forest fans about whether they would like to see him back at the City Ground.
Keinan Davis: The striker is on a season-long loan at Watford from Aston Villa. He has bagged four goals in 18 games, but is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Jayden Richardson: The youngster left the Reds to put pen to paper on a permanent deal for Aberdeen as he sought regular game time. He’s certainly got his wish, featuring 21 times to date, with the majority of those appearances coming as part of the starting XI.
Brice Samba: It was something of a shock when it became clear an exit was on the cards for the fans’ favourite, having turned down the offer of a new deal at Forest. He has been in fine form for Lens, though, as they continue to challenge current league leaders PSG in Ligue 1 - with his trademark one-handed catches still a feature of his game.
“It was my choice to come to Lens,” Samba has said. “It may seem surprising. In fact, the club was clear and honest with me. I work a lot by instinct. The choice to come back to France was above all a sporting one. When you see the last two seasons of Lens, how the team plays, the fans who come to the stadium, with whom I identify a lot with, I definitely felt the desire to come here.”
The goalkeeper clearly still has a lot of affection for Forest, however. He was quick to comment on social media after Dean Henderson had followed his lead by looking at notes stuck to a water bottle during the Reds' Carabao Cup penalty shootout against Wolverhampton Wanderers - just as Samba had done in the play-off semi-final victory over Sheffield United.
Lewis Grabban: Cooper, in particular, had been keen to keep hold of the experienced front man. The offer of a new contract was made, but he opted instead to sign for Saudi Arabian side Al Ahli on a free transfer.
Nicholas Ioannou: The defender made a permanent move to Como 1907, following a loan spell with the Italian side. He has featured 18 times so far this season and scored one goal.
Xande Silva: Made just 10 appearances during his time Trentside. Has already featured 14 times for Dijon since his summer move, netting five goals.
Nuno Da Costa: Left the Reds with the unwanted record of his only goal being scored into his own net. Now with Auxerre, where he has bagged three goals in 18 games.
Joe Lolley: The winger has made a good start to life in Australia, after his four-year spell at the City Ground came to an end. He's clearly still got that sweet left-footed strike which Reds fans are familiar with. In 11 appearances, he has found the net four times for Sydney FC.
A number of players also left Forest on loan in the summer. They were: Mohamed Drager (FC Luzern), Ethan Horvath (Luton Town), Brandon Aguilera (Guanacasteca), Will Swan (Mansfield Town), Tyrese Fornah (Reading), Jonathan Panzo (Coventry City), Fin Back (Carlisle), Riley Harbottle (Mansfield), Braian Ojeda (Real Salt Lake), Richie Laryea (Toronto), Nicky Hogarth (Falkirk), Alex Mighten (Sheffield Wednesday), Hwang Ui-jo and Josh Bowler (both Olympiacos). Bowler has since rejoined former club Blackpool for the second half of the season, Mighten and Hogarth are back at the City Ground and Aguilera's six-month spell at Guanacasteca has come to an end.
Would you like to see any of the summer departures back at Forest? Have your say in the comments below
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