After suffering a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Watford earlier this month, Nottingham Forest would have been determined to get back to winning ways on Saturday in their clash with Reading.
However, the Reds were forced to settle for a point at the City Ground as a late strike from Yakou Meite sealed a point for the visitors.
Set to face high-flying Norwich City on Wednesday, it will be intriguing to see whether Forest are able to prevent Daniel Farke’s side from extending their winning run to nine games in the Championship.
Although manager Chris Hughton will be focused on leading Forest to survival in the
coming months, he reportedly has already identified a key area within his squad that he wants to improve upon during the upcoming transfer window.
According to page 59 of yesterday’s print edition of the Sunday Sun, the Reds boss wants to sign a new goalkeeper this summer who will be able to compete with Brice Samba for his position.
An ever-present in Forest’s starting eleven this season, Samba has kept 11 clean sheets in 37 appearances and has yet to miss a league game.
Due to the presence of their team-mate, fellow shot-stoppers Jordan Smith and Abdoulaye Diallo have both been forced to watch on from the sidelines during the current campaign.
GIVEMESPORT’s Joshua Cole says…
Whilst Samba has illustrated that he is more than capable of delivering the
goods in the Championship over the past two seasons, the 26-year-old could potentially take his game to the next level if Forest bring in some real competition for him this summer.
When you consider that Diallo has yet to make an appearance at senior level for Forest since
joining the club last summer, it would not be at all surprising if he leaves the City Ground when his contract expires in June.
Although Smith featured in the Reds’ FA Cup games against Cardiff City and Swansea City earlier this year, the jury is still out on whether he is good enough to play at Championship level as he has only made 46 appearances in this division since making his debut in 2017.
Therefore, Forest ought to consider signing a keeper who knows exactly what it takes to deliver the goods in the second-tier as doing so may have a positive impact on their fortunes next season as well as Samba’s development.