Under Nuno Espirito Santo, Nottingham Forest will be hoping to avoid being dragged into relegation peril during a crucial January transfer window.
In his first media appearance since his appointment, the Portuguese gave away little when asked what business he could have coming up next month. He did, however, make it very apparent that the team he must work with is too large.
Steve Cooper, his predecessor, likewise found the statistics difficult. Because of this, managing a few exits has long been considered a top objective for January. Given that Gustavo Scarpa appears certain to sign with Atletico Mineiro, he will probably be the first out the door.
The contracts of a number of Reds players are about to expire at the end of the current campaign. In the event that the club decides against signing the worried players to new contracts, January would be the last chance to make a profit rather than risk losing them to free agents in the summer.
It will soon be necessary to decide whether to extend their contracts, let those players go, or let their contracts expire. Due to a rumored contract issue, Scott McKenna and fellow center-back Joe Worrall have already been linked to Middlesbrough.
It would be prudent for Forest to avoid doing too much squad surgery when the winter transfer market opens after multiple summer overhauls. To start, Nuno needs to establish a solid foundation.
But there has been much discussion over the caliber of the team at the City Ground. There has been mixed results thus far for the 13 players signed in the summer.
While some of their most recent acquisitions arrived on shorter terms or as loans, others signed long-term contracts. Here are the expiration dates of each player’s contract, keeping that in mind. Deal duration was not always made public.
2024: Nuno Tavares (season-long loan from Arsenal which includes future options), Harry Arter, Cheikhou Kouyate, Andrey Santos (season-long loan from Chelsea), Chris Wood, Divock Origi (season-long loan from AC Milan, with an option to make the deal permanent), Loic Mbe Soh (on loan at Almere City), Scott McKenna, Willy Boly, Felipe, Serge Aurier, Ola Aina (includes future options). Gonzalo Montiel (season-long loan from Sevilla, with the potential to make the move permanent).
2025: Moussa Niakhate (option to extend till 2026), Alex Mighten (on loan at KV Kortrijk), Ryan Yates, Jonjo Shelvey (on loan at Caykur Rizespor), Richie Laryea (whose loan at Vancouver Whitecaps is officially set to expire on December 31), Jonathan Panzo (on loan at Cardiff City).
2026: Callum Hudson-Odoi, Joe Worrall, Neco Williams, Brandon Aguilera, Orel Mangala, Gustavo Scarpa (on loan at Olympiacos), Omar Richards (on loan at Olympiacos).
2027: Matt Turner, Odysseas Vlachodimos, Morgan Gibbs-White, Taiwo Awoniyi.
2028:Murillo, Andrew Omobamidele, Nicolas Dominguez, Ibrahim Sangare, Anthony Elanga.
2029: Danilo.
Undisclosed: Harry Toffolo, Lewis O’Brien (on loan at Middlesbrough), Josh Bowler (on loan at Cardiff City), Emmanuel Dennis (on loan at Istanbul Basaksehir), Hwang Ui-jo (on loan at Norwich City), Remo Freuler (on loan at Bologna).
