A dressing room overhaul has made for a busy summer at the City Ground, but Nottingham Forest’s transfer business might not be over just yet.
The Reds have brought in 21 new faces, most recently adding Willy Boly, Loic Bade and Josh Bowler on deadline day last week - with the latter going straight out on loan to Olympiacos. Meanwhile, over the course of the summer, a significant number of players headed in the opposite direction, either on permanent or loan deals.
With the window now closed in England, Forest cannot make any more signings from another club. However, free agents can put pen to paper at any time.
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Defender Serge Aurier is still likely to link up with Steve Cooper’s side, having been waiting for a visa and work permit to be sorted. He has been targeted to provide cover and competition for Neco Williams at right wing-back and is without a club after leaving Villarreal.
And, if they choose, the Reds could still sanction further outgoings. Although the window in England is shut, a number of windows abroad remain open, meaning clubs in certain countries can trade for a little while yet. Deadlines for elsewhere include: Mexico, September 5; Belgium, September 6; Turkey, September 8 and Greece, September 15.
Premier League clubs are required to submit 25-man squad lists following the closure of the transfer window. Players under the age of 21 (born on or after January 1, 2001) do not count towards the total - in Forest’s case, Loic Mbe Soh, Brennan Johnson and Neco Williams.
Not including that trio, the Reds have 27 senior players on the books. However, Harry Arter has not been part of the first-team set-up for some time, while Lyle Taylor has not been included in a match squad since the 1-0 win over West Ham United, so both may well have not made the cut.
Depending on if provisions have potentially been made to include Aurier in Forest’s list, that could mean another player is also left out, besides Arter and Taylor. Transfer windows remaining open elsewhere would allow for moves away from the City Ground.
To fulfil the squad rules, teams must also contain at least eight “home grown” players. The Premier League specify a “home grown player” as one who, “irrespective of nationality or age, has been registered with any club affiliated to the Football Association or the Football Association of Wales for a period, continuous or not, of three entire seasons, or 36 months, before his 21st birthday (or the end of the season during which he turns 21)”.
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