Nottingham Forest occupy the second automatic promotion spot in the Sky Bet Championship table heading into the second international break of the season - but you get the feeling that some players will still be slightly unhappy at the City Ground.

Midfielder Claudio Yacob is yet to make an appearance under Sabri Lamouchi, and has fallen massively out-of-favour on Trentside under the Frenchman.

The defensive midfielder, who arrived on a free transfer following his release from West Brom last season, made 17 appearances in all competitions under Aitor Karanka and Martin O'Neill last term.

But the Argentine is yet to get a look-in under Lamouchi, with Ben Watson, Samba Sow, Alfa Semedo all ahead of him in the pecking order.

Lamouchi is expected to reshape his squad in the summer as he looks to guide his side to a promotion spot this term, and he will look to get rid of the deadwood as he looks to bring in fresh, new faces.

And with Yacob completely surplus to requirements at the City Ground, here, we take a look at two pros and two cons to letting him leave in January.

Pro 1: Frees up wages

As touched upon briefly before, getting rid of Yacob would give Lamouchi a chance to bring someone else in in another area of the pitch.

He isn't going to a game under Lamouchi, with so many midfielders ahead of him in the pecking order, and there is no point in having him if he isn't going to play.

He's likely to be a decent wage packet having dropped down from the Premier League, so from a financial perspective, it makes sense.

Pro 2: Keeps squad morale high

As time goes by, Yacob's frustrations could grow more and more.

His patience could be wearing thin having not played football for a lengthy period of time, and Lamouchi needs to ensure that he keeps every player happy, something that Yacob isn't likely to be whatsoever.

He can't afford someone to affect the squad's morale, as it's higher than ever at the moment, so letting him go could be the best thing for every party concerned.

Con 1: Losing an experienced head

Whilst Yacob may not be playing, he could be providing some invaluable experience and leadership off the pitch.

Forest have players such as Michael Dawson and Ben Watson, who will pass on real knowledge and knowhow to the young players in the squad.

Yacob has played a large amount of the games in the Premier League, and to have a player of his calibre in the squad is massive.

Con 2: Other players need clearing out first

Whilst Yacob is completely out-of-favour at the City Ground, there are other players, perhaps of lower quality, that need clearing out first.

Zach Clough is one of those players - he hasn't featured for the Reds in over a year, and flattered to deceive out on loan at League One side Rochdale last term.

Yacob may have some use if someone like Watson gets injured, whilst Clough has very little to offer even if the likes of Joao Carvalho get injured.

[freshpress-poll ]