Nottingham Forest may have to unexpectedly enter the transfer market for a first-choice goalkeeper this summer following claims that Brice Samba 'intends to leave' the club after being offered an 'unacceptable' new contract offer.
The 28-year-old was the Reds' semi-final play-off hero after saving three Sheffield United penalties at the City Ground three weeks ago, but claims in The Athletic have put the player's immediate future in doubt. Samba made 45 appearances across all competitions this past season but was benched for three matches in March following a suspension after being shown a straight red card against Stoke City.
Ethan Horvath deputised for that run of six matches before Samba was reinstated. However, the American international, who arrived at the City Ground on a free transfer last summer, could step into the breach once again if Samba does depart.
But what if Forest do look elsewhere for a first-choice keeper? Promotion to the Premier League means there is added pressure on Steve Cooper to get this key position right. The Reds have also been tipped as suitors for £40m-rated Burnley number one Nick Pope, but the cost of the England man suggests this is a non-starter. So who else could Cooper bring in? Here are three possible options...
READ: Forest face shock summer transfer exit as Samba contract claim made
READ: Why Forest must push to resolve Samba contract situation amid transfer claim
Freddie Woodman
Steve Cooper knows Woodman well from their time at Swansea City when the former England youth international made approaching 100 appearances across two seasons on loan in South Wales. The 25-year-old remains a Newcastle United player and has just one year remaining on his contract at St James' Park, but the club do have an option to extend that by another year.
Woodman did start last season between the sticks for Newcastle in the Premier League, featuring in all of their first four games when Martin Dubravka and former Forest keeper Karl Darlow were unavailable, but saw that run ended by an untimely hip injury. After returning to fitness, he had fallen back down the pecking order and was loaned out to Bournemouth on deadline day in January, where he featured just once, during an infamous FA Cup defeat to non-league Boreham Wood.
According to our colleagues at Chronicle Live, Preston North End are keen on signing Woodman this summer, but the sway of a potential reunion with Cooper and another shot in the top-flight would be a tempting one to resist. They also add that Woodman's future at the club 'looks to be in doubt' as Newcastle are looking to bolster their goalkeeper ranks, which would only further limit opportunities in the first-team.
Dean Henderson
Reports suggest that a rumoured move to Newcastle this summer is set to come to nothing, which could open the door for Forest to swoop for the one-cap England international. The 25-year-old featured just four times in cup competitions for Manchester United last season after failing to establish himself as their number one ahead of David De Gea.
Playing for a side newly promoted to the Premier League for the first time in a while is far from a foreign experience for the goalkeeper. Henderson did so admirably in a similar situation for Sheffield United back in 2019 when they returned to the top-flight for the first time in 12 years, keeping 13 clean sheets and conceding just 33 goals in 36 matches as they finished ninth.
With nouveau riche Newcastle seemingly now out of the picture, Forest could have a clear run at the goalkeeper should they decide to pursue him as an option. Whether any move would be on a permanent or temporary basis remains to be seen, with the player having a contract at Old Trafford until 2025 that includes an option to extend it for an additional year.
Loris Karius
The Liverpool goalkeeper is widely reported to be eventually leaving the Champions League finalists, four years on from playing his last match also in a Champions League final the last time Jurgen Klopp's side lost to Real Madrid in 2018. Two costly mistakes in that match, which came after suffering a blow to the head following a collision with Sergio Ramos that was later confirmed as a concussion, effectively ended the goalkeeper's career at Anfield.
Now 28-years-old, Karius did not play a competitive match last season after reportedly turning down offers away from the club during the summer transfer window and instead continued to train with the first team without ever being included in the matchday squad. The one-cap Germany international last played competitively in February 2021 during a loan spell back in his homeland with Union Berlin, which ended up with the 'keeper making just five appearances after becoming their backup goalkeeper.
A two-season loan spell at Besiktas before that saw Karius feature much more, making 67 appearances in total, more than were ever made for Liverpool, but a permanent move did not transpire. With Karius soon-to-be a free agent, it would represent a relatively low risk signing for Forest to sign a player with a clear pedigree and only really just entering the prime years of a goalkeeper's career.
