Nuno makes 'difficult' Nottingham Forest transfer admission after quiet window
Nottingham Forest may not have got the striker they were after in the winter transfer window but head coach Nuno Espirito Santo is still confident in the squad he has at his disposal.
The priority for the Reds before last Monday’s deadline was to retain their key players. They managed to do that but were unable to strengthen their forward ranks.
It leaves Chris Wood and Taiwo Awoniyi as the two out-and-out front men in the dressing room, although the likes of Jota Silva and Anthony Elanga could slot in if required. Forest were not the only ones to do little transfer business, with January proving to be a tough window for many clubs.
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“I think we are in a good place as a squad,” Nuno said ahead of Tuesday night’s FA Cup tie at Exeter City. “As long as we keep ourselves healthy and work as good as we are working, I think we can compete until the end of the season.
“It was a quiet window for all the clubs. It is always very difficult to operate and we were aware of that.
“We had a clear intention to retain the core of the squad. All the players are here and are available.
“We didn’t achieve what we wanted because it is very hard. We keep going.”
Asked if there is a worry about how the Reds would fare should Wood pick up an injury, Nuno said: “Chris is OK. He is healthy, we don’t have to worry about that.”
Young defender Tyler Bindon was Forest’s only new signing of the window but he was immediately loaned back to Reading for the remainder of the season. Meanwhile, deadline day also saw midfielder James Ward-Prowse depart.
The West Ham United loanee had found himself out of the team in recent weeks, and Danilo and Ibrahim Sangare returning to fitness only increased the competition for places. With recently-appointed Hammers boss Graham Potter said to be keen to work with him, the 30-year-old’s spell Trentside was cut short and he headed back to the capital.
“It was very hard. Since James came in, he was a big help for us,” Nuno said.
“I had the chance to speak with him and to understand it was not an easy situation. He came in, played and helped us. There was a moment he was not playing, then his parent club’s intention was to recall him. Everybody said it was the best decision for all parties.”
