Nuno Espirito Santo
Valencia midfielder Andre Almeida is set to remain at Valencia despite interest from Nottingham Forest, according to reports. The Portuguese midfielder has been subject to some speculation regarding his future in Spain but journalist Hector Gomez confirmed that both Forest and La Liga outfit Real Betis had registered interest but no bid from either side has been reported. This comes after Forest ’s pursuit of Santiago Gimenez and Eddie Nketiah fell through in recent days as Forest are now reportedly prioritising a move for Egyptian Omar Marmoush . In terms of midfielders, Forest have already bolstered their ranks – signing Elliot Anderson and Marko Stamenic – in the window.
Nuno Espirito Santo admitted that Forest are still keen on recruiting for Friday’s 11 pm deadline, he said:
Nuno Espirito Santo said “We have 36 hours, I think the club is working to bring solutions and options to make us stronger and have a competitive squad. It’s all about the profile of the player – it’s not easy, especially in these last hours but it’s also not easy because we already have talent and quality in the squad. As a club, we are working and I expect to bring in some players.”
His desire for a midfielder will have been added to by the recent long-term injury of Danilo , seemingly freeing up space in the squad to welcome a new player in the middle of the pitch. Last night, in Forest’s penalty shoot-out defeat to Newcastle United, Nuno tested Anderson and Nicolas Dominguez as his midfield duo; they looked solid without doing anything extravagant. During last weekend’s League victory against Southampton, the Portuguese opted for Ibrahim Sangare alongside Anderson. Despite having enough depth in midfield, Forest look short of real goalscorers, seemingly apparent from their pursuit of Santiago Gimenez, Eddie Nketiah, and most recently Omar Marmoush . Forward options are a priority for Forest, however, Nuno insisted it’s about ‘profile’ not ‘position’ in his press conference,
Nuno Espirito Santo said “Can he give us more than one option? Can he play more than one position? Do we already have this kind of profile? It’s not about that it’s about taking time, which we don’t have but also about not making mistakes – a mistake now is the worst thing that can happen.”
