Boss Chris Hughton says decisions have not yet been made on the futures of Nottingham Forest’s out of contract players - and the final eight games of the season could sway his thinking.
The Reds have 12 players whose deals will come to an end this summer, including five loanees.
They have options to turn the loans of Cyrus Christie and Luke Freeman into permanent moves, from Fulham and Sheffield United respectively, as well as to extend goalkeeper Abdoulaye Diallo’s contract by a further 12 months.
Filip Krovinovic (Benfica), Anthony Knockaert (Fulham) and James Garner (Manchester United) will return to their parent clubs. And Glenn Murray, Samba Sow, Sammy Ameobi, Yuri Ribeiro, Michael Dawson and Michael Hefele will become free agents.
There will be changes to the squad come the end of the campaign as Hughton looks to put together a team capable of challenging for the top six next term.
And this final run-in could convince him one way or the other, when it comes to who he would like to stay and who will leave.
“There are certainly decisions that haven’t been made, and we will make them over a period - whether that’s during these eight games leading up towards the end of the season or in the summer,” he told NottinghamshireLive.
“First and foremost, players are playing because that’s what they enjoy doing. That’s their job.
“You want to be the best you can, irrespective of your manager or your owners - it’s about that personal pride to be the best you can.
“But of course we are coming to a stage where there will be other thoughts. There will be concerns and so on.
“The best way to finish the season, for every individual, is to give everything they can and play the best they can.”
Ahead of their trip to Cardiff City tomorrow, Forest are not yet guaranteed Championship safety.
They are 17th in the table, seven points above the bottom three, and without a win in their last six outings.
As well as getting the points needed to stay up, Hughton is also keen to take some form into the off-season, ready for a fresh assault on the league in 2021/22.
“I think finishing the season well to get some momentum going into the summer plays a part,” he said. “We want to finish the season as well as we can.
“At any stage of the season, whether that’s with eight games to go, 10 games to go or 20 games to go, there are always influences that can affect your thinking.
“There are players who you are thinking of in a certain way, then over even a short period of time, they put some better thoughts into your mind or change your mind a little bit about them. That’s important.
“Also, we would rather go into the start of next season on the back of a decent end to this season.
“Although it’s a big gap in between, psychologically you can have that little bit of momentum.”
