Nottingham Forest kept their powder dry as the January transfer window passed without any significant business taking place.
Joel Ndala joined on loan from Manchester City at the eleventh hour. However, he played for the B-Team last night, and his arrival appears to be with the future in mind.
Evangelos Marinakis expressed an interest in signing a new striker during the transfer window. However, Forest were dissatisfied since a number of targets were linked but failed to materialize as the window progressed.
Instead, the month was devoted streamlining Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad. With the Reds third in the Premier League, the roster is settled, which has resulted in certain players falling down the pecking order.
Lewis O’Brien shone for Swansea after signing on loan. Emmanuel Dennis, who signed for Blackburn prior of their FA Cup game against Wolves, also performed admirably.
One of the more intriguing exits was Andrew Omobamidele. It wasn’t particularly noteworthy that he left, but rather that he joined Ligue 1 side Strasbourg, despite interest from Leeds.
French media issues verdict on Andrew Omobamidele.
If you think the English media is severe, France takes it to a whole new level, especially with L’Equipe and their infamous player ratings.
However, Omobamidele seemed to have avoided their wrath. Instead, he’s received some extremely positive feedback after assisting Strasbourg to a 2-0 victory over Montpellier at the weekend.
They wrote: “The new central defender is already at ease in Strasbourg. In the three defense axis, he gives serenity and he has already become the team’s first receiver (101 balls touched, 2 missed passes out of 86). He won twice in front of Coulibaly, who was in a prime position to shoot. He won duels and cleared seven balls (a match record).
Omobamidele is unlikely to have Forest future.
The kid performed admirably for Forest when called upon last season, but with Nikola Milenkovic, Murillo, and Morato already at the club, he was always going to struggle for minutes in 2024/25.
Strasbourg has the option to recruit Omobamidele permanently in the summer. Given how well he’s started, this may already be a given conclusion, and his future appears to be in France.
The centre-back was possibly the right player at the wrong time for Forest. He’s undoubtedly been a victim of the team’s success, although the Reds’ £11 million fee to Norwich was hardly extravagant.
It’s fantastic to see the player thrive in France. Despite his lack of playing time, he remained professional and did not complain while Forest was flying high in the Premier League.
