The story of Nottingham Forest's striker search as summer transfer plan made
Nottingham Forest head coach Nuno Espirito Santo cut a relaxed figure throughout the winter transfer window.
Any time the subject of potential signings came up when he faced the media, his answer was always the same. He consistently stated that only “special” targets would be considered.
The Reds went into January with up front as the only area of the pitch a little short on cover. But even then there was an acknowledgement that Forest couldn’t just look for any old striker - it had to be the right one.
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Nuno was clear that only players who would improve the squad, who wanted to come to the City Ground and who would fit into a tight-knit dressing room should be considered. Added to that, any forward would know they would have their work cut out to get into the starting XI with the way Chris Wood is playing.
Plenty of other teams were also on the lookout for more firepower before Monday’s cut-off and Nuno admitted several times that it was a “difficult” window to do business in. Selling clubs know they can charge a premium to capitalise on the desperation of others in January, particularly when it comes to front men.
All of that tied together meant the Reds had a fairly limited pool for shopping in. The sensible approach taken by the club in recent windows also does not lend itself to spending for the sake of it.
Nevertheless, they did have striker targets. Reports from Brazil suggested they made a £25 million bid for Botafogo’s Igor Jesus but he felt staying put was best for his career.
Top of Forest’s list, though, was Brentford’s Yoane Wissa. He is a proven goalscorer in the Premier League and his versatility would have been particularly useful.
The Reds tried their luck with a bid, said to be in the region of £18-22 million, in January. However, that was rebuffed and the Bees insisted throughout the window that their prized asset was not for sale amid talk of a £40m price tag being placed on his head.
Boss Thomas Frank said early on in the window that a move for Wissa “will not happen”. And he reiterated the club’s intention to hang on to the 28-year-old as January progressed.
“There is a lot of rumours,” Frank said in the build-up to deadline day. “For me, again he is a Brentford player and in my opinion Wissa is not for sale. He has been our leading number nine and done fantastic, so I cannot see why we should sell him."
Wissa had also addressed the speculation about his future. In an interview with Canal+ Sport Africa, he was asked about Forest’s interest and whether a possible transfer was in progress.
His reply translated as: “There is an interest, there is an interest. Possible transfers in progress, I cannot say. But it’s true that there has been interest since this summer. They are having a very good season and I too am continuing my momentum. It's true that for the moment I'm focused on Brentford but we'll see what happens.”
According to The Telegraph, last week talks were held through intermediaries about potentially reviving Forest’s deal but it seemingly became clear the Bees were not about to budge. Whether the Reds have better luck in the summer remains to be seen, but they are expected to revisit their interest.
Adding a forward will be top of the club’s to-do list by that point. Trying to bring in a striker has been on the agenda in the past two windows, and they will have their sights set on getting one over the line come the end of the season.
Nuno insisted he was not disappointed when Forest failed to sign a forward last summer, and it will be the same again this time around. Much is riding on Wood staying fit for the final 14 league games amid the chase for European football, but the Reds boss has said he is convinced Taiwo Awoniyi can still get back to his best. Jota Silva and Anthony Elanga would also be capable of filling in, if need be.
Not signing a player can sometimes represent as big a call as signing one. Forest will hope patience eventually pays off in their striker search.
