Nottingham Forest are “hopeful” of soon being able to strengthen their injury-depleted squad as the January window approaches its midway point.
So far, Gustavo Scarpa is the Reds’ only new addition this month. The Brazilian got his first taste of playing in front of the City Ground crowd on Wednesday night when he started the Carabao Cup quarter-final against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Forest triumphed on spot-kicks against their Premier League rivals, but they were left with a fitness doubt over another one of their players at the end of it. Willy Boly was forced off after injuring his ankle, adding to a list which already includes Taiwo Awoniyi, Jesse Lingard, Moussa Niakhate, Omar Richards, Cheikhou Kouyate and Giulian Biancone in the treatment room.
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Head coach Steve Cooper wants to bolster his resources at centre-back, in midfield and up front before the transfer deadline. And the number of injuries to key players is only increasing the sense of urgency when it comes to getting new signings in.
“I don’t know if confident is the right word, but hopeful,” Cooper said, when asked if incomings are close ahead of Saturday’s clash with Leicester City. “It’s clear that we want and need to add players.
“That thing is going off in the back of my head again about, ‘here Nottingham Forest go again, signing loads of players’. But that’s where we are at, in this current situation.
“It’s an easy thing for anybody to say now, about how many players we signed in the summer and signing some again. But they are two different times and they shouldn’t really be compared.
“We’ve got an injury list. We’ve had time to get a little bit used to Premier League football. And you have to treat the transfer window for what it is - an opportunity to strengthen and improve your squad. We’ll be no different to anyone else."
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