Scarpa, Surridge, signings – Nottingham Forest transfer questions answered amid exit talk
Latest Nottingham Forest news as Steve Cooper’s Reds face key summer transfer window
Nottingham Forest stepped up their preparations for the 2023/24 campaign this week as they returned to the Nigel Doughty Academy for pre-season training.
On Saturday week, the Reds will take on Notts County in their first friendly of the summer. Meanwhile, the transfer window is still waiting to spring into life at the City Ground.
Nevertheless, there was still plenty to talk about when Forest reporter Sarah Clapson held a live Q&A on our Reds Facebook page. Here’s a look at how it panned out.
Q: I’m hoping for a couple of quality signings early pre-season so they have time to properly gel with the squad.
A: That’s definitely the dream scenario. Even though it’s been a quiet start, it is still fairly early in the window and the players have only just returned for pre-season.
Getting some players in soon would be ideal; give them time to get to know their new teammates and the manager, get to know the club in general, and hopefully get some minutes under their belts in friendlies. In any transfer window, the sooner you can get players in, the better.
In reality, it doesn’t always work out like that. The most important thing for Forest is that they get the right players – and the right number of players – in, even if that takes a little bit longer than they would like. Better to have patience and do the best possible business than rush for the sake of it.
There’s no need to panic about the lack of signings at this point. There’s still a long way to go in the transfer window and a fair while before the season actually starts.
There’s still plenty of time for any new signings to gel and adapt. And we saw last season what a miracle worker Steve Cooper is for getting a squad to do that.
He’s an exceptional man-manager who can foster an incredible team spirit in even the most testing of circumstances. I’m sure he’ll be able to do the same again.
He’s got that magic quality of being able to develop a sense of togetherness. No doubt he would love to get players in early, though!
As you mentioned, quality is the keyword. Forest doesn’t need too many additions, but they do need to make sure they get the right ones and end the window with sufficient strength in depth across the pitch.
Q: Hope Forest doesn’t let Scarpa leave.
A: Me too. The jury is still out on him, but I still think it’s too early to completely write him off.
He’s definitely got something about him and can play a pass. He did struggle a bit with the physicality of the Premier League, but he didn’t get a great deal of game time and wasn’t helped by injuries and off-field issues.
He would benefit from getting a run of games. If he gets that, he’d have a better chance of adapting. But forcing his way into the team is going to be tough because of the competition he faces. It’s a bit of a Catch-22 situation for him.
I think he needs consistent minutes to really get going. We saw that with how Danilo came on when he was playing regularly – albeit comparing the two is a bit unfair because everyone adapts at a different pace.
I do think it’s a big pre-season for Scarpa, though. He really needs plenty of game time and to build some momentum if he is going to play a big role next season.
When he first joined the club, he spoke about how it was his big dream to play in the Premier League, so he’ll be desperate to impress. He’s got his work cut out to get into the starting XI, but he could still be a good option to keep in the squad.
