Considering they're not one of the clubs in the Championship who have been placed under an embargo this summer, Nottingham Forest have been extremely quiet when it comes to transfers.

And with the club finishing 17th in the Championship last season you would have thought there would have been some early moves to refresh Chris Hughton's squad, but it seems as though most business has been left until the final month of the window.

The switch of CEO at the City Ground probably didn't help things, with Dane Murphy finally being appointed in early July after arriving from Barnsley, but Forest's only signing of the transfer window so far came before Murphy was unveiled and it's come in the form of a fellow American in Ethan Horvath.

A goalkeeper wasn't really an urgent necessity for Forest as there's other positions on the pitch which need urgently addressing, including at left-back with the Tricky Trees trying their luck for young Lee Buchanan from rivals Derby County.

Josh Laurent of Reading is also on the target list to bolster the engine room but looking further up the pitch, gaps need to be addressed in all the attacking areas.

Despite Brennan Johnson coming into the senior squad this season, both the number 10 position and the wings need bolstering, as well as Hughton's striker options, and now is around the time where Premier League clubs will be more open to sending out their hot prospects to the EFL for loan spells now that first-teamers are back in training.

This is a market that Forest can exploit, and especially in their case when they need one or two wingers to come in and compete with the likes of Joe Lolley, and there's one young star who is making a name for himself at Manchester City this summer.

 

 

 

 

With many of City's players involved in international competition over the summer, Riyad Mahrez has been flanked in pre-season by a number of promising City teenagers, and the one that has made the biggest impression is Samuel Edozie.

The 18-year-old has been a regular in City's youth squads at both under-18 and under-23 level having joined from Millwall in the summer of 2019, and his pre-season goal tally for the senior side stands at three in as many outings, netting against a trio of Championship sides in Preston North End, Barnsley and Blackpool.

Primarily a left-winger, Edozie has really impressed City supporters on social media and he's shown great anticipation and composure for all three goals he's scored, but the stark reality is that he's not going to get a chance in the first-team when the season starts.

His competition includes Mahrez, Phil Foden, Raheem Sterling, Bernardo Silva and it's soon to be added to by Jack Grealish, so it'll be back to the under-23 squad for Edozie when the time comes.

But it doesn't have to be that way - due to his performances against second tier outfits in the last few weeks there's likely to be a number of clubs interested in giving Edozie his first taste of Football League action this season.

And with Forest desperate to fill the voids left by Sammy Ameobi and Anthony Knockaert, it would be a smart piece of business if they were to approach City about a move for the 18-year-old and he could be played one side of another starlet in Brennan Johnson if he remains at the City Ground to create an exciting attacking midfield three alongside Lolley.