Boss Chris Hughton says he has been keeping a close eye on how Nottingham Forest’s youngsters are faring out on loan, with a view to looking ahead to next term.
The Reds have several promising talents who have been building up game time and getting experience elsewhere.
Some have already had a taste of first-team action at the City Ground, while others will hope they might get the chance to impress during pre-season.
The likes of Brennan Johnson at Lincoln City, Jordan Gabriel with Blackpool, Will Swan at Port Vale, Tyrese Fornah for Plymouth Argyle and, prior to his injury, Marcus McGuane at Oxford United, have been able to further their development in recent months.
Transfer questions
The international break is almost over! Nottingham Forest return to action on Friday, looking to make sure of Championship safety in their final eight games.
First up is a trip to face Cardiff City, with Chris Hughton’s side going into the clash sitting seven points above the bottom three.
The Reds will be eager to avoid a nervy finale to their league campaign, before thoughts soon turn to the summer transfer window.
In a live recording on our Forest Facebook page, Leigh Curtis and Sarah Clapson discussed the match against the Bluebirds, the relegation battle and potential transfer business.
Facing a fight
Some key decisions will be made in the coming weeks which will shape Nottingham Forest’s squad for next season.
After a pretty miserable campaign, the Reds will be aiming to get back to challenging for the top six in 2021/22.
Their transfer business has come under scrutiny in recent windows, with the deals done not reaping the rewards Forest had hoped.
The pressure will be on to get it right this time.
But as much as the emphasis will be on bringing in players who can make a difference, boss Chris Hughton must also make a judgement call on who stays and who goes among the current squad.
And there are some players who could prove harder to hang on to than others.
We’ve taken a look at three who the Reds might have to fight to keep come the summer.
Permanent switch?
Nottingham Forest are said to be weighing up a permanent deal for Filip Krovinovic in the summer, according to reports in Portugal.
The attacking midfielder has been on loan at the City Ground from Benfica since January, having spent the first half of the season at West Bromwich Albion.
Krovinovic has made 12 appearances for the Reds in that time and bagged his first goal for the club before the international break, securing a 1-1 draw away to Brentford.
Portuguese newspaper A Bola claim he is unlikely to “linger” in Benfica and could move on during the upcoming transfer window.
