Transfer update emerges on Nottingham Forest’s pursuit of Newcastle United man | OneFootball

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Football League World

·24 January 2022

Transfer update emerges on Nottingham Forest’s pursuit of Newcastle United man

Article image:Transfer update emerges on Nottingham Forest’s pursuit of Newcastle United man

Championship side Nottingham Forest are not currently pursuing Newcastle United midfielder Sean Longstaff despite links with a move to the City Ground, according to journalist Will Unwin.

As per the Daily Mirror (23/1 paper edition; page 72), the East Midlands outfit were thought to be lining up a £2m move to lure the Magpie to Forest on a permanent basis, adding further depth to their central midfield area.


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This link comes after Tyrese Fornah’s loan move to Shrewsbury Town for the remainder of the season, with the 22-year-old signing fresh terms at the club last month before arriving at Steve Cotterill’s men during this window.

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Article image:Transfer update emerges on Nottingham Forest’s pursuit of Newcastle United man

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24-year-old Longstaff has spent some of his time at St James’ Park on the bench this term – but has made a respectable 15 Premier League appearances for the Tyneside outfit during the 2021/22 campaign thus far.

However, the top-flight outfit’s new owners are tipped to spend big in the coming years having taken over the club from Derby County-linked businessman Mike Ashley in October, potentially pushing the midfielder onto the fringes of Eddie Howe’s first team.

Taking the step down to the Championship may bolster his chances for the long term, although Forest manager Steve Cooper already has Jack Colback, Ryan Yates, James Garner, Braian Ojeda and Cafu at his disposal.

But reporter Unwin has poured cold water on these rumours, with the City Ground a potential destination for Longstaff that has been ruled out for now.

The Verdict:

This is good news for Forest fans – because they would be investing in an area they don’t need to address right now if they were to pursue this move – and it would have only gone on to increase their wage bill unnecessarily.

A permanent move for Garner seems unlikely at this stage considering his ability and the fact Manchester United may want to utilise him in the future, but a potential replacement for him can be left to one side and looked at in the summer.

At this stage, providing Ojeda with as much game time as possible has to be the priority because he has shown real promise in the early stages of his Forest career and will only get better with more Championship appearances under his belt.

So whilst Longstaff has the top-flight quality needed to fire the Reds to the next level, he shouldn’t be at the top of their transfer wishlist at this stage and in fairness, the East Midlands club’s squad is already looking strong.

They do need to be on high alert for potential departures though – because they will need to be replaced. Brennan Johnson is just one example – and in fairness to Cooper’s men – they already seem to be on the ball in terms of recruiting a winger.

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