‘I’d be leaving it well alone’ – Nottingham Forest eye transfer for 28-year-old: The verdict | OneFootball

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Chris Hughton’s Nottingham Forest are being linked with a move to sign Olympiacos forward Kostas Fortounis this month, according to ENWSI.

Fortounis, 28, is thought to have a mixed relationship with boss Pedro Martins and could leave, with the Reds linked with a switch for the forward.

The versatile forward who can operate in a number of attacking roles has mainly been utilised in a central attacking midfield role, and has gone on to score four goals and deliver seven assists for the Greek outfit this term.

So, what do you make of this news from a Forest perspective? Is he needed?

The team here at FLW take a look…

George Harbey

He looks a class act and I’d be surprised if they managed to get him to be honest.

Unlike many other players, Fortounis doesn’t seem to be a player who has been left out because of his ability at Olympiacos. Instead, it looks like a fall-out between manager and player.

He has been a standout performer for them in recent seasons. He’s scored four goals and registered seven assist in 13 league games this term, so he’s clearly a very talented player.

His record at Olympiacos speaks for itself, too, having scored 70-odd goals and registering a similar amount of assists, so he is clearly a very talented player.

If Evangelos Marinakis managed to pull this one off, then it would be some coup. More importantly, he’d be a much-needed signing as Forest are desperate for a bit of wizardry from midfield.

Did Nottingham Forest sign each of these 14 players for more or less than £1 million?

Alfie Burns

My initial thought would be: who is pursuing this deal… owner or manager?

It really doesn’t feel like a Chris Hughton signing. That might just be me being cynical but I can’t help but feel it’s another signing for the sake of it.

Fortounis has a good record in Greece, but is that enough to make him a success in the Championship? So many similar deals at Forest have fallen flat on their face.

I’d be leaving it well alone and allowing Hughton to focus on the domestic market. His signing of Knockaert will prove to be a decent one and targeting another signing of his ilk should be the approach this winter.

Ben Wignall

This would be smart business for Forest, although if Fortounis comes in I do worry about the size of their squad.

It’s bloated enough as it is, but if there’s one position that they are lacking strength in it’s probably a top-quality attacking midfielder.

Luke Freeman was supposed to fill that void but he’s been struck down by an injury, with Cafu playing in the most advanced role out of Chris Hughton’s regular midfield trio recently.

And considering Forest and Olympiakos have the same owners, a deal to bring Fortounis to the City Ground won’t be too expensive at all, and could provide the Reds with more of a cutting edge in their relegation battle.