Transfer Rumour Roundup

Here is a roundup of the latest stuff doing the rounds… Ins and outs this time

Incoming

Graham

Danny Graham

Strong rumours are we are to sign Danny Graham from Sunderland currently on loan from Sunderland. Graham has had a tough couple of years in front of goal and Sunderland might think dropping a level will be able to instigate some form. Graham had better days with Watford and Swansea so has good form in the past and in the Championship. He would be a good signing, if allowed time to find his feet.

Chris Baird
Northern Irish defender who was on a short team deal with Reading which has expired. Due to injury Reading have delayed offering an extension. Therefore he is a free agent. What with a number of defensive injuries Davies might see him as more than adequate coverage in defence. It could mean Lascelles is off, but I think that unlikely.  Baird is versatile so can play in midfield and at all full back which would be of interest to Forest. For freebie he’d be a wonderful signing.

Bradley

Sonny Bradley
Sonny is a 22 year defender for Portsmouth who this week has been linked. He was released by Hull in the summer and has been playing in League Two for struggling Pompey this season. Being from the north (Hull) he may further a move from the south coast closer to home. To be honest I know nothing of this kid. It seems that maybe it’d been a lazy link, but it’s just so random as to surely have something in it, maybe a scout watched him.

Outgoing

Ishmael Miller
Following his loan at Yeovil it looks likely that the Glovers may well come back in for the big striker. Miller has only a short while left on his contract, but Yeovil surely can’t match what we are paying him (believed to be £16k a week) so it would possibly loan till the summer. At which point we don’t care as this waste of moneys contract will have expired.

Matt Derbyshire
Doncaster are being linked with the perennial sub. Derbyshire is getting quite a lot of action from the bench but like Miller he has high wages and an expiring deal. Should we get rid his wages might be able to fund 2/3 incoming players, or even a Premiership one. Despite that goal versus Leeds I would gladly see him move on. His time is up here.

Derbyshire

Karl Darlow
Being linked with a host of Premiership clubs, and supposedly going to be scouted by Liverpool this coming week. Darlow has been consistent, and we wouldn’t be willing to sell, BUT every player has his price and should a silly offer be received then we’d have to entertain it Also Darlow might lose his focus and have his head turned like Lee Camp formerly did.

Jamaal Lascelles

Lascelles

Like Darlow being linked with top flight clubs. Also rumoured to be getting scouted in upcoming weeks. Lascelles has been linked with the top flight for years (at same time as Bamford was) and could well be attract the interest of top clubs. Like Darlow we don’t need to sell but he might also have had his head turned or receive an offer of silly money. That said if we sell one we won’t sell the other.

Forest Facing Battle to Keep Crown Jewels

The downside to any team performing well and especially younger players playing well is that those prize assets will attract attention from bigger fish. Those bigger fish being namely Premiership clubs. Those prize assets being Jamaal Lascelles, Karl Darlow and Henri Lansbury. Yes there are other players playing well (namely Reid) but these 3 have youth on their side and therefore investment potential.

Jamaal Lascelles

There has been rumours for a short while about Lascelles and Darlow being scouted, and many top clubs will have known the potential Lansbury had for a while, and is now realising. The other part of this is that Lansbury game is adapting and evolving and making him more appealing.

The battle is whether we sell for reinvestment opportunities and strengthen the squad. Yes we have cash but we cannot simply ignore and flout Financial Fair Play. Similarly any player has a price, and if someone offers a silly one, and just a very good one would we snap their hands off?

Every player is replaceable, no-one isn't. Lascelles is performing well but by rights he shouldn't have ever had this chance to shine, which he hasn't grasp with both hands, but grappled it to the ground and pummelled into submission, he has taken it so well. He was of course very strongly linked with Arsenal a few years ago. At the start of this season he was being linked with League One loans, namely Cheltenham. Now that's a distant memory.

Karl Darlow

Darlow has grown into a fine keeper. The expectation is with a younger keeper is that there ill be a few errors in the game, stuff he learns to adapt and get better. Not Darlow, he has not really made too many glaring howlers or allowed some bad habits to creep into his game. Indeed he has kept Dorus de Vries as firmly his number 2.

Henri Lansbury when he arrived was regarded as more a creative attacking midfielder, or indeed a wide man. Through necessity and his own development he can now play that deeper role too, and has taken on the mantle of the no.10 shirt very well. This season started with him weighing in with a few more goals, and has now seen him putting in some excellent deeper lying midfielder role.

Henri Lansbury

Now the type of club is the type that many will immediately scoff are not a bigger club and why would they go there. But they are in the Premier League, the holy grail. It is unclear if we will make it this season even if we give it a good go. And for all the calls for Billy for the board to make investment and secure promotion anything could happen. Even Davies would admit every player has a price.

But you only need look at some teams established in the top flight for teams who held on to their top talent. Southampton being a prime example, who held on to top youngsters and are now reaping those rewards as those players improve with them. Lallana and Schneiderlein attracted lots of attention previously. They held, and now look at where they are.

Southampton are ironically one of the linked clubs, with Darlow, as they struggle to settle on a keeper to go forward. Sunderland, and Hull were linked earlier this season. Lascelles has been linked with Spurs amongst others, again Sunderland and Aston Villa. And Villa were also being linked with Lansbury not long ago, along side other mid table Premiership clubs.

We aren't alone. Derby young stars are similarly attracting interest. Will Hughes is a prime example. And would clubs do a Palace and sell now and then loan back, or just sell and reinvest? Or do well hold on and see what could be a peak price drop and lose for nothing, like with McGugan?

Capital One Cup: a Dilemma

To be honest I’ll admit from the outset that I couldn’t give a monkeys about this for now. In fact I had to be reminded this morning we were even playing. It has fallen down the priorities so much coupled with the fact we’ve not done anything much in this competition for so long that you just don’t contemplate a run.

That said, should we make it past and through a very tricky game tonight away at Burnley, then suddenly the realms of possibility open up. Obviously at this stage I will direct your attention at Bradford City. Bradford who of course were last years (heavily beaten) finalists. The journey and success of that run though will live long in many a fans consciousness; it is a League 2 team (at the time) on a fairytale story. It wouldn’t quite ring in the same way for us, but that said, it could add a gloriously nice touch to the season.

I assume we will ring the changes again tonight, Collins, Moussi, Lascelles, Jara, Miller and Tudgay and their ilk may well be implement, especially with the big derby with Derby looming. But writing this, and also considering what most people I speak to and immediate friends feeling are, this is all irrelevant. Irrelevant till we draw a big team, or make it to latter stages and then suddenly it’s all too relevant. Then we do care. Then the League Cup is a glorious opportunity to show what we can do, and (whisper it) a chance of glory or at least Europe.

That is making huge leaps of imagination, but let’s face it, half the teams in it think this is an annoyance and wield ‘B’ sides and exit the competition with a whimper. So by the time anyone takes it serious from the last 16 or 8, then a lot of teams have disappeared who may have been a risk.

That starts to ask the question well do you go for it, and try and get success. Well, the likelihood of finally winning the thing are remote, and so the weighing up of the benefits of a successful run versus potential injuries to key players keep the idea of resting players and using fringe players as a core idea. Why jeopardise the season’s main aim for a slim chance of success. The financial rewards of being in the Premiership far outweigh the benefits of a good cup run, an even winning the thing (even if it meant European football) and as I said, if we got so far as to take it seriously, as those other teams getting that start taking it seriously too.

However, in reaching Wembley as a gloriously huge underdog, Bradford had experience of the stadium; they had a chance to get that sense of being over awed out the system before their Lord Mayors show that was the playoff final. For them it had an air of familiarity, and rather than let Wembley over shadow them, instead they’d been there, bought the t-shirt, the novelty hat and the overprice hotdog. They won in the playoffs. I’m not suggesting that we focus on this competition as a vain hope to use Wembley failure as a springboard to playoff success. There are far too many other aspects to consider before that, but it is something else to even think about.

Winning causes morale to increase and increased morale increases peoples belief. Players feel better. So to try and cultivate a little success might do wonders. I just won’t be there to enjoy it until it gets interesting.

Big Wes is Off

Well it what has turned out to be one of the most drawn out and obvious sagas in recent times Wes Morgan is poised to sign for Leicester it seems, after Forest decided we need to cash in on their offer for a player who is out of contract in the summer. To avoid the Kelvin Wilson scenario, we have decided to not let him go for free in the summer.

What does this mean for the team though? Will we see Jamaal Lascelles stepping up now that he is back from injury? Potentially it could be that we have let this deal wait till now to make sure Lascelles is fit. Or indeed will we be signing another defender from elsewhere?

I.e. are we in for a loanee from the Premier League, or looking to reinvest the money in a defender from elsewhere? Both options might be a good chance to get some fresh blood in a team that unfortunately has a losing mentality now with its horrendous form. Someone might breathe fresh air into the dressing room and reinvigorate the team.

A cult favourite, it will be a shame to see Wes Morgan leave, and I can’t begin to imagine him in another teams colours, but this is no Michael Dawson or Des Walker. Wes might be a decent Championship defender, but that is all he is. He would never make it at a top level club. So perhaps getting a good fee whilst we can and moving on to a new phase might be for the best. I would prefer him to stay of course, he is a legend at the club, but sometimes legends do need to move on, and I would wish him all the best for the future.

The deal is apparently for around a million and is subject to Wes passing a medical tomorrow.

The Kids are Alright

A Forest team that can win and score goals into the bargain. Who knew? Well apparently all along the very things we struggle for in the First Team are bubbling under in the Youth team. We beat Wigans youth 9-1 the other day and beat Southampton in the FA Youth cup 5-1 last night.

These two excellent wins have grabbed attention in ways that wouldn’t usually happen had our form been good. Considering how our first team is doing, it really does grab attention. Goals, goals and more goals in games for them, and particularly Patrick Bamford have had fans on Facebook and Twitter clamouring for his inclusion in the first team.

Now I won't go as far as a few who got a bit carried away and suggested we play the whole team. The typical knee jerk reactions of the over emotional, people who I often point out always claim certain courses of action have to be taken and all decided that we are being relegated already. I wouldn’t go as far as to say replace the whole first team with a bunch of wet behind the ears kids, but they do need blooding, and the best couple, Bamford and Lascelles need to be given a chance to shine where other more experienced players are failing.

In two games Bamford has scored 9 goals. That’s right 9.Considering since November the first tem have scored 4, and 3 of those were in one game, it speaks volumes. Bamford is banging on that door now for selection. We thrashed a Southampton side that is highly thought of in Youth circles. They invest a lot in their future. Look at the players they have produced. Gareth Bale, Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade Chamberlain stand out names, but also players like Andrew Surman who are carving our perfectly good Premiership records. Well we beat them, and one hell of a beating. It’s making people sit up and notice.

Jamal Lascelles also played last night and he has been a much vaunted prospect for a while now. Arsenal were linked before, and now the fact is with our shaky defenders at the moment, can Lascelles really be worse than Chambers recent displays? So should these guys be given a chance? It is called a chance, and that means we know it might not work, and with our situation that becomes a risk. Let’s be honest it would be a risk. The step up would be huge for them, but then again top youngsters have to make this step up some time. Every kid has to start somewhere.
Lascelles would likely have had a chance last month when we were missing a lot of defenders, but he himself was out. Now it seems he is back in the frame

The other aspect with last night was that reportedly the likes of Mark Arthur, Frank Clark and Steve Cotterill himself were there to watch. That can only be a good sign; they are watching, and hopefully willing to try. Davies was a little reluctant to blood youngsters, though I am sure in these cases he might have also considered.

The other news is that the likes of Lascelles and Bamford have contracts expiring. This had a lot of people worried on the net, and complaining about the board again. But youth contracts work differently. For a start the money involved won’t be as much. And the club were having dealings with Bamford recently according to Paul Taylor of the Evening Post. So the club seem to be sorting this out.

It certainly gives a few things for us to talk about, and sends the tongues amongst fans wagging. Personally I'd like the youngsters to be given a chance. It sends a message to the next batch that if they do well they can make the step up. Additionally in a home game with the fans support it would only give them a boost. The kids are looking good for an FA Cup success, and at least there might be some success this season.

Young Defensive Duo to Step Up?

Following the news that Anthony Gardner won't be signing for the club it makes me wonder what role the young central defenders Jamaal Lascelles and Karlton Watson will play for the Reds this season.

Anyone who follows Karlton Watson on Twitter knows that he is coming back from along lay off and is a long way off what he regards match fitness. He has been allocated squad number 30for the season,and yes, squad numbers aren't always something to be read into into,but it does possibly suggest he will be on the fringes of the team. Remember he was Academy Player of the Season a couple of years ago before his injury problems

Lascelles has been mentioned for a round 6 months now as the next great hope to come through our youth ranks (with the Arsenal interest being a significant factor in this) He has squad number 44 this season, which could suggest that the club expect this year might still take a while to mature.

One major reason is that we have moved back from 7 subs to 5, and therefore there are of course two less spots on the bench to fill. Therefore Joel Lynch would probably be a integral sub alongside Moloney as cover. Lynch's preferred position is centre back rather than the left back role he so often has been asked to fill in. We have barely seen him in this role and like Chambers, actually playing where he likes might allow him to blossom.

Apart from these players,there aren't many others looking like breaking through. Kieron Freeman looks like a best of the rest, alongside Danny meadows and Neill Byrne, but I expect these to end up like Mark Byrne and Hamza Bencherif, looking like maybe stepping up but disappearing (and often reappearing at Meadow Lane)

This of course forgets that the other likely angle the club will take is possibly young loanee's from the Premier League.You can't help but notice the roles Henri Lansbury and Fabio Borini played in Norwich and Swansea's respective promotion pushes. These are cheaper options than the like of Konchesky or Boyd on loan as wages are cheaper an the parent club positively crave giving these players fist team action.(if not for their club progression but also to improve market value to cash in on)

So all in all, it will be interesting to see how these players are used,if they are. And how they progress. I thought maybe Niall Rodney would have been offered a dealand that never occurred. There is also of course time till the window closes again,and there is time to bring in players, though the noises from the club suggest this is highly unlikely and that yes, Chris Cohen will indeed be left back.