Sean Dyche Burnley
Nottingham Forest has bolstered its squad with three new signings: striker Lorenzo Lucca, goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, and left-back Luca Netz. Despite these additions, the club was keen on further strengthening before the transfer window closed, particularly targeting a midfielder and another forward. However, attempts to secure additional deals, including three rejected bids for Celtic’s Arne Engels, did not materialize.
Sean Dyche said: “Some of that news was real, some wasn’t – so that’s one thing to clear up. There were a number of situations we felt we could operate in, but I did say before the window that actually getting deals done is not an easy process. I’ve said all along, we have some talented players here; it’s just game-ready talent. Some are maturing into what it means to be in the Premier League, so that work continues. There are some good signs from the group. The balance of the group on the whole is OK. If we could have strengthened (further), we would but it is not easy to get deals over the line.”
Dyche added: “Some (of the transfer talk) didn’t make any sense to me. Look at the squad and where we need bodies, and there was talk about lining up players where we had enough in there. You don’t want to overload any areas, because once you do that you have got to leave players out and then that changes the feeling in the group. At the minute, the feeling is very good. The game schedule has been difficult. But the positive side of that is lots of players are playing, so that keeps the feel right because nobody really feels they are missing out at any given time.”
Despite the challenges faced in the transfer market, Dyche expressed satisfaction with the current squad and emphasized the importance of not signing players merely for the sake of it. He acknowledged the difficulty of getting the right players in the right positions, especially during the January transfer window. The new signings, Lucca, Ortega, and Netz, are expected to provide depth and balance to the squad as Forest aims to secure Premier League survival and make a strong run in the Europa League.
Looking ahead, Dyche is set to make changes to the squad for the Europa League knockout stages, with Omari Hutchinson and Taiwo Awoniyi potentially being included after missing out previously. The upcoming match against Leeds United at Elland Road could see the debut of Forest’s new additions, with Ortega possibly stepping in if Matz Sels remains sidelined due to a groin injury, and Netz covering for the suspended Neco Williams. Dyche highlighted Ortega’s experience and adaptability, suggesting he could be a valuable asset moving forward.
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