Former Nottingham Forest defender Gregor Robertson says Chris Hughton should look to lower the average age and in turn increase the desire of his squad in the January transfer window.
Speaking on this week's Garibaldi Red podcast, Robertson, who is now a reporter for The Times, questioned if a squad full of experienced players has the necessary hunger to succeed.
"I would suggest he might want to look at the average age a little bit. If I were him, which I'm not, I'd try to sign the best players at clubs lower down than Forest," Robertson said.
"It's a big opportunity for them and they'll have something to prove. They'll want to either really impress at a big club in the Championship or get to the Premier League.
"They sign plays from the Premier League, who, I don't know, don't look hungry and aren't fighting for it.
"If you look at the average age, there are quite a lot of players who are approaching 30 or just past it.
"Perhaps their best days are behind them. I would try to change that and get players with their best days in front of them."
Forest have struggled all season with their form for much of 2020 being poor after missing out on the play-offs last term.
Since then, they have signed 14 players with more than £40m made from selling Academy graduates in the last four years.
Among those sales were Ben Brereton to Blackburn for £7m and Arvin Appiah to Almeria for £8m.
Matty Cash moved to Premier League Aston Villa for £14m, while Oliver Burke joined RB Leipzig for £13m.
Brereton and Appiah joined second tier clubs, while Forest are historically bigger than Leipzig, although the German team has flourished in recent years after a huge cash injection.
For Robertson, Forest's transfer policy has been hugely frustrating with around 70 players signed since 2017.
"I think it's almost tragic that have repeatedly sold young players to clubs that aren't bigger than Nottingham Forest," he said.
"I even go back to Ben Brereton, who is starting to find his feet after not a great time at Blackburn.
"Selling him and then signing players who are in their 30s and paying them more than you would pay Brereton, you could say that about several players, but I find it tragic Forest have sold players to fund a slapdash approach to signing a ridiculous number of players.
"The thing they've lost from the days under Paul Hart when I was there is that connection. Fans love to see a number of players who have come through the Academy in the side.
"You see what Joe Worrall said after the Brentford game, you can tell it means something to him.
"He's not a transient guy passing through or chasing his last big contract. He's fighting for a club he's been at since he was a teenager or younger. It matters to him.
"There is a downside if you have too many kids, as we did. If you rely on them too much it can go wrong, as it did when we got relegated."
You can listen to the full episode with Robertson and Forest legend Garry Birtles here, or watch it here.
