This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Nottingham Forest "are going for it" to sign Benfica attacker Jota, according to reputable journalist Antonis Oikonomidis.
Sabri Lamouchi is looking to bolster his squad ahead of another Championship promotion push.
The Reds have had success signing players from Portugal in recent windows and it seems they're keen to do so once again.
According to Oikonomidis, "Forest are going for it" in their attempts to sign Jota.
It appears the East Midlands club may have their work cut out as he claims "the kid is really good and on big demand".
But would it be a good signing? And do they need him?
We asked our FLW writers for their thoughts...
Alfie Burns
The 21-year-old is still quite raw and is hardly pulling up trees with Benfica, but it’s a signing that could work for Forest.
There’s definitely room for a player in Lamouchi’s squad like this and there has been for some time.
Joao Carvalho doesn’t fit into the manager’s plans it seems, but Forest can often be short of a player to provide them with a spark in the final third on days when they are struggling.
If Jota can come in and do that on five or six occasions, he’d be a decent addition over a season.
In my eyes, it isn’t a bad move Forest stepping up this interest.
George Harbey
This has the potential to be a really exciting signing for Forest.
Jota has been heavily linked with the Reds in the past, and if they can bring him in and add him to their squad ahead of next season, then it would be another exciting addition for the Reds.
He's featured a lot for Benfica at a really high standard and already has experience of playing in the Champions League, so you'd back him to be a quality player for Championship level and if he can cope with the physicality of English football, he could be a very dangerous player.
He's capable of playing anywhere in attack, so his arrival could potentially add depth out wide for Joe Lolley and Sammy Ameobi, and his versatility could be key with such a tight schedule on the horizon.
Did these 12 ex-Nottingham Forest players actually ever score for the club?
Sam Rourke
It looks an exciting one.
The 21-year-old is a promising young player who offers pace, strong dribbling ability, and an eye for a pass - he could complement Forest's set up nicely.
We have seen Forest dip into the Portuguese market more often than not over the last few seasons, and Jota looks a real prospect who could if managed correctly, be a real threat in the Championship.
Signing Jota would give real competition to Lolley in right midfield, whilst the Portuguese man is also adept at playing as a second striker and has also operated from the left, so he offers an element of versatility.
It's all about adaptation to the Championship though, too often we have seen players struggle to adapt to the rigours and demands of the English second tier.