Nottingham Forest head coach Nuno Espirito Santo has hinted that he was expecting more signings to be made during the winter transfer window.
Forest are currently enjoying one of their best campaigns in recent memory, sitting in third position in the Premier League table with a six-point advantage over fifth-placed Manchester City.
Furthermore, the East Midlands outfit are preparing to face Exeter City in the FA Cup fourth round on Tuesday night, there being a clear opportunity to progress into the last 16.
However, despite speculation regarding at least one big-money signing being made during the previous transfer market, Forest failed to make a single senior addition.
While winger Joel Ndala has been acquired from Manchester City, the 18-year-old has been earmarked for the academy side with his solitary senior games in English football coming in the EFL Trophy.
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What has Nuno said?
As well as failing to secure extra backup down the middle of the attack, Forest's squad has also been weakened by midfielder James Ward-Prowse returning to parent club West Ham United after an unproductive loan spell.
Despite being content with retaining his first-choice options, Nuno has hinted that there is a sense of frustration having not got any notable deals over the line.
The Portuguese, as quoted by the Nottingham Post, said: "I think we are in a good place as a squad. As long as we keep ourselves healthy and work as good as we are working, I think we can compete until the end of the season.
"It was a quiet window for all the clubs. It is always very difficult to operate and we were aware of that.
"We had a clear intention to retain the core of the squad. All the players are here and are available. We didn't achieve what we wanted because it is very hard. We keep going."
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Should Nuno be concerned?
Nuno will inevitably heavily rotate his squad for the game with League One Exeter on Tuesday night, as he did for the FA Cup third-round fixture against Luton Town.
However, injuries to key players will be at the forefront of his mind. With five of this squad having featured in at least 23 of their 24 Premier League games, it is clear that they have been fortunate.
Ward-Prowse's departure also leaves Forest down to 22 players who have featured in the top flight during 2024-25, and there may be a need to use some of the versatility in the squad going forward.
Losing Chris Wood is the biggest worry, the New Zealand international having scored 17 Premier League goals and being one of only two players to score more than three times in the Premier League this season.
Darren Plant
