Aitor Karanka has ruled out a move to sign Lee Tomlin, insisting that he would prefer to work with the Nottingham Forest squad he has assembled over the course of the summer.

The Reds were keen to bring Tomlin back to the City Ground earlier in the summer after an impressive loan spell, however, a pay rise at Cardiff City complicated a potential deal.

Joao Carvalho, Diogo Goncalves, Gil Dias and Hillal Soudani have been added instead, more than covering the void left by Tomlin.

Karanka faced questions regarding his interest in the 29-year-old, who is surplus to requirements at Cardiff, but the Spaniard told the Nottingham Post he wasn’t considering reuniting with the playmaker: “We have almost 30 players in the squad, so I prefer to focus on the players who I have in the squad.

“We have two weeks of the window left, but the squad is complete now.”

Tomlin arrived in Nottingham on-loan back in January, making 15 appearances for the Reds.

In that time, the ex-Middlesbrough playmaker returned four goals and a further three assists for Karanka’s side.

In his absence at the start of this season, Forest have enjoyed an unbeaten start.

The Reds have picked up five points from their first three fixtures, winning once and drawing on two occasions.

Karanka’s side have also progressed to the second round of the Carabao Cup, overcoming a scare last night to beat Bury on penalties.

The Verdict

Tomlin was good for Forest last season, there’s no doubt about that.

However, Forest now have a number of other options in his position, with Karanka surely pleased with the players he has brought in.

Unless something drastic changes in the coming weeks, it’s hard to see Forest’s stance changing here.

Nottingham Forest fans… Thoughts!