Nottingham Forest will be gearing up for a big few weeks once they return from their winter break.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s Reds have a blank weekend this week but will then return to action in earnest. They now have an FA Cup replay with Blackpool to fit in, and they will be aiming to push up the table when they resume their Premier League campaign.
And with the January transfer window now open, there was plenty to talk about when Forest reporter Sarah Clapson held a live Q&A on our Reds Facebook page. Below is a look at how it panned out.
Q: Are we light or used to having a bloated squad, even the top sides are putting youngsters on the bench, we have FA Youth Cup finalists from two years ago, some of these should be doing the same.
A:Forest have such a great history and tradition of bringing youngsters through the ranks. But it has become harder for young players to get a breakthrough since the step up to the Premier League.
Nuno’s options were a bit limited on Sunday, due to injury and players being on AFCON duty, so he did include some youngsters on the bench in the FA Cup. It’s a shame none of them got on, but perhaps the circumstances of the game affected their chances of featuring.
It seems unlikely he will get many minutes in the Premier League between now and the end of the season, so it would probably be best for his development to get some game time elsewhere. When Steve Cooper was at the club, he was really keen to keep an eye on Aguilera at close quarters for the first half of the season; see how he did and then make a decision in January. I suspect the situation hasn’t changed under Nuno.
It will be the same for the likes of George Shelvey, who said back in the summer that he was keen to go on loan to get minutes. Perhaps for Andrew Omobamidele and some of the players in the youth set-up, too. And for Alex Mighten, who is back at the club after his loan spell in Belgium was cut short – the next move for him is going to be crucial.
Everyone wants to see young players coming through, but the Premier League brings so many pressures in terms of getting results that it becomes more difficult for that to happen. It’s finding the right time. Maybe the FA Cup replay will provide another opportunity.
Obviously, we know Steve Cooper was very keen on working with younger players and they were involved a lot in training. We’re yet to really see how Nuno operates in that sense.
In terms of being light or having a bloated squad, it is a bit of both. Forest are light in certain areas at the moment, such as centre-back, due to injuries and absences. But there is no question numbers need trimming. Some players are seeing barely any game time, and it can be tough for the head coach to keep everyone happy when that is the case.
