Nottingham Forest transfers - Reds 'target' drops Delap hint, defender dilemma

As the summer deadline approached, head coach Oliver Glasner turned down the chance to make further signings. He didn’t want to rush into any deals, preferring to use the time between September and the new year to assess his squad and look closely at any potential targets.

January will soon come around, and the transfer rumour mill barely stops in the meantime. Below, the Nottingham Post rounds up the latest news and gossip.

It wasn’t quite the homecoming Archie Brown had envisaged when the Birmingham-born defender lined up against Aston Villa for Fenerbahce on Wednesday night. The Turkish side were left licking their wounds after being hammered 6-0 at Villa Park.

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But it might be that Brown soon finds himself running out at Premier League stadiums again. Forest have been credited with an interest in the left-back for the past year or so and reports from Turkey recently suggested a £13 million January bid could be on the cards.

Brown has certainly left the door open for a future return to the UK and, rather intriguingly, has also pointed out Reds striker Liam Delap is a good friend of his. Delap and Brown played alongside each other during their time in the academy together down the A52 at Derby County.

Feneberhace, though, are said to have placed a price tag in the region of £25m on his head - almost double what Forest would reportedly be prepared to pay.

Speaking before the midweek Champions League clash against Villa, Brown told The Sun: “Me and Morgan Rogers used to play together when I was a kid at West Brom. Liam Delap is an amazing person. That’s my brother, man.

“I have some friends in the Premier League. And of course, it’s one of, if not the best league in the world.

“I’m an English man so I always stay up to date. I think if it’s the right club and right moment in the future, you never know what can happen.”

The Nottingham Post says: Brown’s comments are pretty close to a “come and get me” plea. Referencing Delap is particularly interesting where Forest are concerned, although Sunderland and Atletico Madrid have also been linked with the Fenerbahce man.

The 24-year-old has potential, but has never played in the Premier League. And when it comes to the Reds, there is a question mark over whether strengthening in that position will be a priority in January.

Neco Williams is first-choice left wing-back for Forest, with back-up Luca Netz struggling for any kind of game time at present. Of course, plenty of fans would like to see Williams switched to the right flank to avoid him having to cut onto his preferred foot. However, the Welshman would have his work cut out to force his way into the XI on the opposite side, following the summer arrival of Daniel Munoz.

The offers prompted raised eyebrows among supporters of both clubs. Forest fans queried the merits of splashing out in the region of £15m on a player of that age bracket in the final year of his contract, and their north east counterparts wondered why their club had turned it down.

If the Reds had planned to try again for Murphy, they would likely need to up their offer again. According to the Daily Mail, the player is “very close” to agreeing a new contract that would extend his deal at St James’ Park by 12 months.

It is reported Murphy could yet move on next summer, but his club are making sure he would at least command a fee to do so. The player was said to be “open” to joining Forest in the summer.

The Nottingham Post says: Murphy’s experience and versatility would certainly have been useful for Forest. His age and contract status led to questions over the prospect of paying a fairly significant fee, though.

In that sense, not a lot has changed - especially if the Newcastle man puts pen to paper on fresh terms. With that in mind, it would be a surprise if the Reds revisit this particular target in January.

The move hasn’t quite worked out as hoped. Abbott has had to wait a long time to get his opportunity for the Saints but finally did so in midweek.

The 20-year-old was included in the starting XI against Norwich City for his debut. However, he was hooked at half-time of his team’s 1-0 triumph at Carrow Road.

The suggestion seems to be Abbott was replaced because he was carrying a yellow card. Nevertheless, it has led to questions over whether Forest should look at ending his season-long loan early.

The Nottingham Post says: Abbott needs to be playing regularly, or at least in with a chance of playing regularly - that was the whole reason behind going out on loan. He might as well have remained Trentside otherwise.

If his situation on the south coast doesn’t improve before the new year, the Reds will surely consider recalling him. Whether he goes back to being on the bench for his parent club or weighs up a different loan, either option would surely be better than his current circumstances.

Central defence is an area where Forest are fairly light on numbers anyway, even if Ola Aina and Ryan Yates are capable of stepping in. And given that Glasner had been keen to hang on to Abbott, the academy graduate would no doubt be welcomed back.

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