Boss Steve Cooper says he is still shaping his Nottingham Forest squad into his “vision” as he targets further signings before the summer window close in a month.
A rebuilding job was always going to be necessary this summer, and the Reds have done a lot of work in the transfer market in advance of their opening Premier League game next Saturday. However, there are still areas which need strengthening as they look to compete in the top-flight.
Midfielder Orel Mangala will become Forest’s 12th new addition when his arrival from Stuttgart is confirmed. But the transfer window remains open until September 1, and by the end of it Cooper aims to have sufficient strength in depth to have selection dilemmas all over the pitch.
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“We’re in the Premier League now, the team you put out has to be able to compete at that level,” he said after the Reds had rounded off pre-season with a 1-1 draw against Valencia. “But you also need to have a squad so that if you want to make changes, it can keep the level of what is required.
“That’s clear to everybody. But that’s good, I want difficult decisions to make and I want problems to solve, in terms of decision-making and hopefully putting the right teams out.
“The guys will know that; that every position needs to be a fair fight for who plays. That’s exactly how I want it.
“We’re still trying to put the final squad together. Yes, there will be more business. We’re still shaping the squad as we want it, and that’s going to be with some new additions.
“We definitely need certain types of profiles in certain positions, to get the team to the vision I have for it. We keep building towards that.
“The guys who come in every day are giving everything and really committing to the programme. We look forward to that, and if we can add down the line quickly, that will be great.”
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