Nottingham Forest boss Chris Hughton says he is "pleased" to acquire Cafu's signature on a permanent basis for more than one reason.

Cafu arrived at Forest initially on loan from Olympiacos in the summer, penning a deal until the end of the season.

The 27-year-old has since become a key player for Forest under Chris Hughton, making 16 appearances across all competitions.

After a positive loan spell thus far, Forest announced last night that they had made Cafu's move to the City Ground permanent, with the player putting pen to paper on a two-and-a-half year deal on Trentside.

Speaking in his post-match press conference following the win over Coventry City on Tuesday night, Chris Hughton said he is "pleased" to get the deal done for more than one reason.

He said: "I think it's two-fold. It certainly helps me in regards to selection, as it would have been six loan signings who have all been very much involved in the team this season.

"But even apart from that, I think he has been good for us. Irrespective of the six loans or no loans, it's a permanent deal which he deserves."

Before Cafu's move was made permanent, he was one of six loanees on the books, along with Cyrus Christie, Luke Freeman, Anthony Knockaert, Filip Krovinovic and James Garner.

EFL rules state that only five loan players can be named in a matchday squad, which would have meant that Hughton would have had to leave one of those players out on a weekly basis.

The Verdict

This is a sensible move.

Even if Forest weren't at their limit in regards to loan players, Cafu deserves a permanent deal as he has been really good under Hughton.

He has lacked consistency at times, but he's a good, physical option to have in midfield and has a good passing range on him.