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 midfielder Samba Sow has been linked with a surprise move away from the City Ground, with Turkish side Erzurumspor in talks with the 31-year-old, per reports from Turkey.

Sow is out of contract at the end of the season, and it would be a surprise to see him leave Forest considering he has been used quite frequently by Chris Hughton since his arrival

But the club are well-stocked in the engine room, with Ryan Yates, Jack Colback and Harry Arter all contracted, and if Sow is being allowed to leave the club then the rumours linking Bournemouth's Dan Gosling on a loan deal make a bit more sense.

Should Forest really be thinking about letting Sow go though as they battle relegation from the Championship?

The FLW team have their say...

Alfie Burns

You’ve got to look at the short-term and then the long-term to really weigh it up.

Right now, Sow is important to Forest.

They have injuries and he’s playing. He’s not just making up the numbers either, when he plays at full tilt, he offers Hughton’s side real drive.

So, it might be a slightly poor decision in the short-term to offload him.

However, looking ahead into the summer, Sow is out of contract and Forest need to offload players.

If there’s decent money on the table for the 31-year-old, you’d consider it because of that.

Ultimately that is what it depends on: money.

Phil Spencer

It would be a real blow to lose Samba Sow.
The midfielder has been a key player for Nottingham Forest so far this season and I'm sure that Chris Hughton would not want to lose him.
Unfortunately his contract situation suggests that Forest could be powerless.
Sow is able to discuss terms with clubs outside of England and it seems that that's exactly what he's doing.
If he does move on then it'll be a blow, and so the focus for Forest will be on signing a replacement as soon as possible.

Grabban? Ameobi? – Can you name which Nottingham Forest player scored each these 15 goals this season?

Toby Wilding

I think they could be reluctantly tempted to cut their losses here.
Admittedly, Sow has been a useful player for Forest since his arrival at The City Ground last summer, and his presence has made his a more than useful asset for them at times.
However, he is approaching the end of his contract with the club, so it could be sensible to let him go now, either to open up the possibility of receiving a fee for him, or at least clearing some space in the wage budget, to help them raise funds to recruit in the final days of window.
Indeed, Forest do have plenty of other options in their side to help them cope with the departure of Sow, and given he is now 31-years-old, he may be approaching the latter stages of his career, meaning you do wonder how much longer he would be an option for the club anyway, meaning this probably seems like a sensible moment for a parting of the ways.