Latest Nottingham Forest news: Nuno Espirito Santo’s Reds may face another hectic summer transfer window.
Nottingham Forest’s transfer business will be under the limelight this month as the club prepares to defend against Profitability and Sustainability Rules violations.
The possibility of a points deduction hangs over the Reds as they strive to stay in the Premier League. They will appear before a three-person independent committee next week after being charged with violating financial regulations in January.
The decision on Forest’s hearing is not expected until April. And, depending on any appeals, the problem may not be addressed until after the season, with a May 24 backstop date in place.
In the interim, the Reds’ signings and agreements will undoubtedly be the subject of much controversy among commentators and supporters. Forest, like any other club, has made mistakes. They have overseen both positive and negative additions in recent years.
If any one player exemplifies wasteful spending and poor decision-making, it is Harry Arter. Despite having last played a competitive game in the Garibaldi in January 2021, the midfielder remains on the roster.
Since then, Arter has had short loan spells at Charlton Athletic and Notts County, with the latter ending in May 2022. According to The Daily Mail, he earns a cool £40,000 every week, despite the fact that he hasn’t played for the first team in a long time.
Now 34, he could have been a significant player at the City Ground when he signed from Bournemouth in September 2020. Instead, he has made only 14 appearances for the club.
Arter’s lucrative contract included a clause that was triggered when the Reds were promoted to the Premier League two years ago. His contract was set to end in 2023, but Forest’s return to the first tier resulted in an extension until 2024. Arter will leave the club as a free agent in the summer, after the management was unable to sell him sooner.
He will not be the only player that departs at the end of the season. The Reds will hope to be planning for another Premier League season at that point, but they will have to make some major personnel decisions anyway.
Gonzalo Montiel, Nuno Tavares, Divock Origi, Gio Reyna, and Rodrigo Ribeiro’s loans will then expire. Montiel, Tavares, Origi, and Ribeiro may be able to make their moves permanent.
Wayne Hennessey, Willy Boly, Felipe, Ola Aina, Cheikhou Kouyate, and Chris Wood will all have their contracts expire in the summer. Likewise, Loic Mbe Soh and Scott McKenna are now on loan. Forest also has Joe Worrall and Orel Mangala on loan, with options to buy from their respective clubs.
The summer is still a long way off, and anything can happen between now and then. However, exits from the Trent’s banks may be a hectic transfer season once again.
