Though Nottingham Forest’s January transfer market hasn’t officially opened, there has been a lot of discussion about potential moves this month.
As of right now, the Reds have not made any fresh recruits and are awaiting word on whether they will face penalties for breaking the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability regulations. Any fresh additions are unlikely to occur before they learn in the coming days whether they are found to have violated any regulations.
But managing outgoings was always going to be the main priority this month in order to provide head coach Nuno Espirito Santo with a reduced roster. Gustavo Scarpa and Andrey Santos have already left, and more will come.
Midfielder Orel Mangala is the latest player to be linked with a January exit. Below, we take a look at the situation as it stands.
How has Mangala’s season gone so far?
The 25-year-old was arguably one of Forest’s best performers under Steve Cooper in the first half of this term. Having arrived in the summer of 2022, following the Reds’ promotion to the Premier League, he had made great progress in the space of a year.
Mangala’s development illustrated the benefit of time when it comes to adapting to English football. Much like striker Taiwo Awoniyi, it took him a while to adjust. This season, however, he had found a level of consistency.
Nevertheless, the change in head coach has seen him fall out of favour. He started Nuno’s first game in charge, against Bournemouth, but was hooked at half-time as Forest fell to a 3-2 defeat.
His only minutes since came as a late substitute against Manchester United. Against Newcastle United and Blackpool, he did not get off the bench.
Who is interested?
Italian sides Juventus and Napoli are said to be keen. But Turkish outfit Galatasaray seem to have stolen a march, with reports they have submitted an offer. Sky Sports in Germany state the three clubs are “making intensive efforts” to sign Mangala, whose City Ground contract runs until 2026.
Football Italia report the fee for the former Stuttgart man would likely be 25 million euros (about £21.5m). They say that price “could be a problem for both Juve and Napoli mid-season”.
Is a move likely?
Reports suggest Mangala would not be against a move as he has been down the pecking order under Nuno. Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri has said on X (formerly Twitter): “It’s true to say that Napoli and Juventus officials appreciate Orel Mangala’s profile. The player – who didn’t seemed in the first plans of Nuno Espírito Santo – has been offered to both clubs (not only them) and put on a short-lists. Work in progress to find a solution for the Belgian Red Devil this winter. Wait&See.”
Forest need to cut numbers this month. Nuno has made that much clear; he has also talked about needing to make “hard decisions” over who stays and who goes.
Midfield is an area where the Reds do have several options. Whereas Cooper had played with three in the centre of the pitch, Nuno has tended to go for two, which makes competition for places even tougher.
At the moment, Forest have Ibrahim Sangare and Cheikhou Kouyate away on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations. Ryan Yates and Danilo started against the Seasiders in the FA Cup last weekend, and may well keep their places for next Wednesday’s replay. In the past two games, Nuno has deployed Nicolas Dominguez in a wider role – and the Argentine has responded with goals in both of them.
What has been said?
Mangala’s position hasn’t specifically been addressed. However, Nuno has been clear about his wish to work with a smaller squad. The Portuguese stated his arrival was a clean slate for everyone, and he wanted to run the rule over his players before any decisions about their futures were made.
“There are no final decisions,” Nuno said last week of possible exits. “We have been doing a lot of work since we arrived. It is true that we want to reduce the number of players in the squad, but at the same time we want to improve the quality of the squad.
“Any player to come has to improve us and give us something different that we don’t have. That is our job.
“There are no final decisions in football because anything can happen. The work we are doing is trying to find what is available, but the important thing is the players who are here. We are the ones who have to move forward, improve and compete.
“If someone comes, it is to help and to improve the quality. And it is not easy to improve the quality; it has to be the real one.”
