The January transfer window closed earlier this week, with Nottingham Forest having overseen a number of ins and outs.
Keinan Davis, Steve Cook and Richie Laryea joined the Reds early in the month, followed by the arrivals of Sam Surridge and Jonathan Panzo on deadline day.
Heading in the opposite direction, Jordi Osei-Tutu returned to parent club Arsenal, while Jayden Richardson, Tyrese Fornah, Carl Jenkinson, Jordan Wright, Lyle Taylor, Joao Carvalho and Mohamed Drager headed elsewhere, either on loan or permanent deals, and Rodrigo Ely’s contract was terminated by mutual consent.
Forest did also try to get a winger in before the cut-off point, but saw multiple bids turned down for Millwall’s Jed Wallace and Blackpool’s Josh Bowler.
We take a look at the winners and losers from the Reds’ transfer window as a whole.
Winners
Alex Mighten
The teenager is making good progress in his recovery from injury and will hope to be available again soon.
When he is back fit, the fact Forest didn’t manage to strengthen in the wide areas last month should mean he gets more of an opportunity.
Had either Jed Wallace or Josh Bowler come in, the likelihood is Mighten’s chances would have been restricted.
He might still find it tough to get in the starting XI most weeks, but he can be a good option from off the bench and will continue to develop under Steve Cooper’s guidance.
Academy prospects
Cooper remains passionate about working with young players and giving them a chance when the time is right.
A number of the Under-23s train with the senior side regularly, and the likes of Ateef Konate, Oli Hammond and Julian Larsson have recently been involved on match days.
Although Forest strengthened in a number of key areas during the window, the next few months will likely see some of the club’s rising talent being called upon at times.
“We don’t need to collect players. We’ve got enough good young players in the academy,” Cooper said last week.
“One thing is for sure, if a player is training hard enough and playing well enough for Andy (Reid) in the 23s, and there’s an opportunity and an opening, we won’t have any hesitation in putting them in.”
Dane Murphy and Steve Cooper
This January window had a very different look about it compared to years past, and that’s testament to those at the top of the club.
Some good, sensible business has been done, with no sense of panic buying or paying over the odds for targets.
A very careful approach was taken, but one which leaves the Reds in a stronger position than at the start of the month - injuries to key players notwithstanding.
It was a positive window, and one very much with the fingerprints of the chief executive and the head coach over it, in that, generally, young players with potential have come in. And some of them are ones Cooper has worked with before.
Losers
Tobias Figueiredo
The defender was wanted by Portuguese club Vitoria but a move fell through in the end.
Already struggling for game time, he is likely to fall further down the pecking order with the arrival of Jonathan Panzo.
Even with Joe Worrall sidelined with broken ribs, Figueiredo wasn’t getting a look in as the manager opted to either play Ryan Yates in a back three or go with a four-man defence.
The severity of the calf injury Cook sustained at Cardiff City on Sunday remains to be seen, but Figueiredo still faces a fight to get into the team in the final months of his contract.
Gaetan Bong
Another player who was already finding it tough to get on the pitch, and the arrival of Richie Laryea - who can play either right or left-back - only puts another obstacle in his way.
Bong has featured seven times this term, the last of which was as a substitute in the 4-1 win at Swansea City midway through December.
Like Figueiredo, his deal comes to an end in the summer.
Brentford
Try as they might - and they did try hard - the Premier League side were unable to prise away Brennan Johnson from the City Ground.
That comes after Joe Worrall came close to joining the Bees in the summer.
That they managed to keep hold of Johnson is a huge positive for the Reds. He is only going to get better in the second half of the season, having already established himself as a key player. He can make a significant difference to the club’s promotion hopes.
