Sabri Lamouchi has had to be ruthless since taking over at Nottingham Forest, with his approach justified by the results his side have picked up this season.

The former French international inherited a massive group at the City Ground, meaning he had to decide pretty quickly who he wanted to be in his plans moving forward and where they needed to upgrade.

Perhaps surprisingly, Lamouchi and the recruitment team went all-out to change the goalkeeping department.

Aro Muric arrived with a big reputation on loan from Manchester City, whilst Brice Samba joined the east Midlands outfit from Caen and the latter has established himself as the number one with the young Kosovan international the backup.

That has effectively ended Costel Pantilimon's career at the City Ground, with the big Romanian yet to make the matchday squad under the new manager, including when he made wholesale changes in the League Cup.

So, it won't have been a surprise to many to read Nottinghamshire Live reporter Barry Cooper reveal that he expects the stopper to secure a move away from the club in January.

In fact, it will be a decision that virtually everyone connected to Forest will agree is the right one.

Whilst Pantilimon was a good player for the Reds since arriving, the reality is that Samba is proving to be a top quality keeper right now and at 25-years-old he could potentially have the gloves for the next decade. He really is the ideal long-term option.

Of course, if anything did happen to him before the New Year it would be a concern, as Muric didn't cover himself in glory earlier in the campaign.

Yet, Lamouchi went with Jordan Smith on the bench ahead of Pantilimon when he rotated his side in the League Cup, indicating he is really the fourth choice.

When you take into consideration the fact he will be earning a decent wage given his reputation, moving him on is the financially smart thing to do as well because you really shouldn't be paying someone so far away from the team such a salary.

Ultimately, Forest have come a long way in a short space of time under the new manager and for whatever reason Pantilimon isn't in his plans.

That's not going to change now so a transfer away in January will suit all concerned and he could be one of several experienced departures as the Reds look to trim their bloated squad.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.