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Nottingham Forest transfer news latest as surprise return mooted and Alex Moreno future discussed
An important transfer window is fast approaching for Nottingham Forest as Nuno Espirito Santo’s side look to push on in the Premier League.
It could be a relatively quiet January for the Reds but they are still expected to oversee some key signings. And given their fine start to the season, there is added importance on the club sanctioning the right deals.
The transfer rumour mill has already been in full swing. Below, NottinghamshireLive rounds up the latest news and gossip.
Spence return?
Djed Spence will always be a hero at the City Ground. His sensational form on loan from Middlesbrough in Forest’s promotion-winning season remains etched in the memory.
The defender has found it hard going since then and his big-money move to Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2022 hasn’t quite worked out as hoped. So could a return to the banks of the Trent be on the cards?
Former Spurs scout Bryan King certainly thinks so. He believes Spence still has little chance of regular game time in the capital and a return to his former stomping ground would be a good option.
"When everybody is fit, Spence has no chance of playing," admitted King told Tottenham News. “I would think that Spence is a player who could be moving on from the club because he isn’t getting regular football. You don’t want an unhappy face around the football club.
"Spence will want regular football, and it doesn’t look like he will get that at Tottenham. Even with all the recent injuries, he still isn’t playing. This is a player who made a name for himself at Nottingham Forest, that could certainly be a potential move. There are some ties between Nottingham Forest and Spurs."
Reyna raincheck
Spence was a star during his loan spell with the Reds, but a stint at Forest didn’t go quite so well for another loanee. Gio Reyna barely played when he joined on loan from Borussia Dortmund for the second half of last term.
Amid just 10 appearances in the Garibaldi, the American never really managed to show what he could do. But for one observer, there is no doubt about the 22-year-old’s quality. Pundit Clint Dempsey has rejected suggestions from fellow former USA international Landon Donovan that Reyna should be plying his trade in the MLS, rather than being back with his parent club.
“I think Landon Donovan said that if he stayed in the MLS he’d get more playing time but I disagree with what Landon is saying,” Dempsey told CBS Sports (via Nottingham Forest News) as Reyna started a 3-2 Champions League defeat to Barcelona. “It’s not about his ability, it’s about whether or not he can stay fit. If he can stay fit he has the ability to be playing at a Champions League club and that’s why he’s playing tonight in a huge game against Barcelona.
“He can’t show that he can stay fit consistently and that’s kind of been his issue. His ability, he’s a Champions League calibre player, he should be at a big club and he can do the business.”
Moreno speculation
It has only taken a surprise absence against Manchester United to ignite speculation about Alex Moreno’s future. The on-loan Aston Villa full-back was not in the Reds’ match squad for last weekend’s victory at Old Trafford.
Nuno explained Moreno was “not in the right moment” after a tough game against Manchester City a few days earlier. And with the Spaniard ruled out of Saturday’s clash with parent club Villa (5.30pm kick-off), the Forest boss said omitting Moreno “made sense”.
However, Spanish website Estadio Deportivo have put two and two together and drawn their own conclusion. They point out Moreno was linked with a return to Real Betis - where he spent four years before his 2023 move to Villa - before he joined the Reds.
And they add the Spanish outfit might oversee the departure of one of their left-back’s, Ricardo Rodriguez, in January due to his below-par form - this creating a potential opening in the squad. The website adds: “Alex Moreno's non-call-up (for Forest) comes after the full-back gave a nod to Betis by responding affectionately to a Betis fan who tweeted his iconic 'Dragon Ball' celebration.”
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Injury to loanee
Cheltenham Town loan forward from Forest Manni Norkett is expected to be sidelined until January with an ankle injury, according to our sister title GloucestershireLive. The 20-year-old has made two League Two starts for the Robins, along with three outings from the bench, scoring the equaliser in the 2-1 home victory over Accrington Stanley on October 1.
He started all three EFL Trophy group stage matches, helping Michael Flynn's side progress with a 100 percent record, and made one substitute appearance in the FA Cup at Salford City. Norkett, who is from Nottingham, was on the books of Manchester United from 2018 to 2023, experiencing senior football during a loan spell at non-league Gainsborough Trinity.
He rejoined Forest, where he had previously been a youth player, in the summer of 2023 and has been given his first taste of EFL football at Cheltenham. The loan arrangement was due to run until until January, so it appears unlikely that Norkett will make any further appearances for the Robins, who currently have six loanees with only five permitted in a matchday squad.
