Here are your Nottingham Forest headlines on Thursday, June 8, 2023.
Lingard 'disaster'
Jesse Lingard’s short spell at Forest was a “disaster”, according to pundit Darren Bent.
Publishing their retained list last week, the Reds announced Lingard will be one of six senior players to leave the club when their contracts expire at the end of this month. It brings an end to the 30-year-old’s one-year stay at the City Ground after signing as a free agent last summer.
During that time, he made 20 appearances in all competitions and scored two goals in the Carabao Cup. Injuries hampered him just as he was starting to find form and he struggled for game time after the World Cup break.
He featured just four times in 2023, with his last run-out coming as a substitute against former club Manchester United in April. Lingard remained a key character in the dressing room as Forest secured survival, but former striker Bent has criticised the attacker’s impact on the pitch.
Adams boost
Forest have been handed a boost in their reported pursuit of Southampton striker Che Adams.
Forest have been linked with a move for the forward, who was part of the Saints team that got relegated from the Premier League after finishing bottom of the table.
Adams was the subject of transfer interest from Forest last summer, with Everton also keen, and the clubs have again been linked with signing the Scotland international. There have been doubts about his future at Southampton, with a further update now emerging.
According to The Athletic, "sources close" to Adams indicate there have been no contract talks between the player's representatives and Southampton. He is heading into the final year of his contract and, with no talks taking place, looks increasingly likely to leave. That could play even further in Forest's hands.
Defender linked
Nottingham Forest are trying to sign Monza left-back Carlos Augusto, according to a report.
The energetic left-back could be available for £8million as Forest look to sign new players early in the summer transfer window. Augusto is a 24-year-old Brazilian who has been capped by his country at under-20 level and started his career at Corinthians, before making the move to Italian club Monza in 2020.
According to the Daily Mail, Forest have "held initial discussions" with Monza and are hopefully of securing a deal, though the Italian side are trying to keep Augusto and have opened contract talks with him.
Steve Cooper will be impressed by Augusto's attacking qualities and energy to get up and down the pitch. He has also played centre-back comfortably, so versatility is another string to his bow.
Wood update
Injured Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood is “working hard” in a bid to be fit for the start of the new season.
The 31-year-old has been sidelined since March after undergoing surgery on a thigh injury. He is not expected to return until mid-July at the earliest but is eager to make sure he is ready for the 2023/24 Premier League campaign kicking off a month later.
Wood took a knock in only his seventh game for the Reds. He was forced off just six minutes after coming on as a substitute in the 3-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur and was left with a huge lump on his thigh.
Shortly after, he then suffered an unrelated injury to his other leg while on international duty with New Zealand which required an operation. He did not feature for Forest in their remaining matches and was left out of the squad for his country’s upcoming friendlies against Sweden and Qatar.
READ NEXT:
