Nottingham Forest stepped up their preparations for the 2021/22 Championship campaign yesterday by securing the services of goalkeeper Ethan Horvath on a three-year deal.
The American will now be looking to challenge Brice Samba for a place in Forest's starting eleven next month when the season starts.
Reds manager Chris Hughton will unquestionably be determined to bolster his squad again between now and the end of the transfer window as he looks to guide his side to a great deal of success in the second-tier.
However, before focusing on incomings, the Forest may have to make a decision regarding the future of one of the club's academy graduates.
Following a fruitful loan spell with Blackpool in League One last season, Jordan Gabriel recently returned to the City Ground and is currently taking part in pre-season training with the Reds.
The 22-year-old will be keen to impress Hughton during Forest's upcoming friendly games with Port Vale and Northampton Town as the right-back position is currently up for grabs following the expiry of Cyrus Christie's loan deal at the club.
As a result of Gabriel's impressive performances for Blackpool during the previous campaign, he has recently emerged as a target for the club.
A report in a print edition of The Sun on Sunday last month (27/06, page 61) revealed that the Tangerines were looking to submit an offer for the defender whilst Portsmouth were also being touted as potential suitors.
In a fresh update concerning Blackpool, manager Neil Critchley has revealed that the club are still monitoring Gabriel's situation at Forest whilst they are also keeping an eye on Sunderland midfielder Elliot Embleton.
Speaking to The Blackpool Gazette about this duo, Critchley said: "When the players aren't yours, the decision isn't yours either because you're governed by what other clubs think about them and decided.
"It's never in your hands.
"Elliot is back at Sunderland and Jordan is back at Nottingham Forest and I'm sure they will be trying to impress in pre-season to try and get in their team.
"We'll keep an eye on them, that's for certain."
GIVEMESPORT's Joshua Cole says...
With Critchley seemingly refusing to rule out a move for Gabriel, it will be intriguing to see whether Hughton believes that the full-back is ready to play at this level.
Despite the fact that the defender showed glimpses of promise during the 29 appearances that he made for Blackpool last season in League One, the Championship represents a significant step up in terms of quality.
Having only featured on one occasion at this level during his career to date, Gabriel will need to win over Hughton's trust in order to make the right-back position his own.
Whilst Forest could secure a sizeable fee for Gabriel whose current deal at the City Ground is not set to expire until 2024, selling to a Championship rival may prove to be a naïve decision as there is no guarantee that they will be able to secure the services of an individual who possesses an equal amount of talent.
Therefore, the Reds ought to consider keeping the full-back at the club for the upcoming campaign as he could eventually become a classy operator at this level.
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