Nottingham Forest face a season-defining couple of matches in the Premier League in the coming weeks, with the Reds facing numerous of their relegation rivals.
Sean Dyche’s arrival at the City Ground has provided a period of stability after Ange Postecoglou and Nuno Espírito Santo were both relieved of their duties within the first two months of the season.
However, the 54-year-old will lead his side into clashes against Leeds United and Wolverhampton Wanderers in the next seven days, which could reveal a lot about the club’s hopes of achieving survival.
The manager will be able to call upon fresh blood for the aforementioned encounters, after completing deals for Lorenzo Lucca, Luca Netz and Stefan Ortega during the January window.
Such additions have undoubtedly provided key depth in needed areas of the pitch, but a failed move for one player may have further increased the chances of the Reds being a top-flight outfit next season.
How close Nottingham Forest came to signing Hayden Hackney
After Douglas Luiz returned to Juventus following an unsuccessful loan spell at the City Ground, the Forest hierarchy made the addition of a new midfielder a priority before the winter window closed.
A whole host of players were on the club’s shortlist, even making approaches for multiple options, with Middlesbrough star Hayden Hackney just one player who fell into such a category.
The Englishman was the subject of an enquiry from Dyche’s men with just a handful of hours remaining in the window, but such a move failed to come to fruition.
Kim Hellberg’s side rejected the proposal out of hand and stated the 23-year-old wasn’t for sale in the winter window, with the youngster pivotal to Boro’s promotion ambitions.
Whilst it’s unclear how much the Reds would have offered for his signature, a move would have been a shrewd one, with Hackney demonstrating his attacking quality against Norwich last weekend.
Should Dyche’s men be a Premier League outfit once again in 2026/27, there’s a chance a move could reignite, but they would likely face competition from Manchester United for his signature.
The Forest star who’s their answer to Hackney
In the modern game, English talents who are looking to move to a new club often cost a premium, mainly due to the need to have a certain quota of homegrown talents within the senior ranks.
Forest already have a similar prospect at the heart of their side with Elliot Anderson – a player who is expected to depart for a club-record sum during the summer transfer window.
The 23-year-old has endured a remarkable rise at the City Ground in recent seasons, with the Reds’ need to conduct a PSR deal with Newcastle United handing them a full England international a couple of years on.
Anderson moved in a £30m deal from the Magpies, which saw goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos move in the other direction – resulting in a net spend of just £15m for the midfielder’s signature.
However, the noise around his long-term future simply won’t go away, resulting in the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea keen on a £100m move for his signature.
Should he depart, the club could decide to return to negotiations for Hackney, but they could also put faith in summer addition James McAtee, who has found minutes hard to come by of late.
The 23-year-old cost a reported £22m from Manchester City in the summer, a move which no doubt generated excitement within the Forest fanbase.
However, like many of the club’s summer additions, he’s struggled to nail down a starting role, as seen by his tally of just seven league appearances – only one of which has come from a starting role.
As a result, many fans have since written the youngster off at the City Ground, but McAtee is a player who could still have a huge role to play in the near future.
He recently bagged his first goal for the Reds during the 4-0 demolition of Ferencvaros, with his underlying stats from such a showing demonstrating the talent he possesses.
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James McAtee – stats against Ferencvaros |
|
|---|---|
|
Statistics |
Tally |
|
Minutes played |
90 |
|
Goals scored |
1 |
|
Passes completed |
44/52 |
|
Pass accuracy |
85% |
|
Chances created |
4 |
|
Shots on target |
3 |
|
Successful dribbles |
4/6 |
|
Crosses completed |
3/4 |
|
Tackles won |
2/3 |
|
Ground duels won |
7/10 |
|
Ball touches |
75 |
However, it still remains unclear where his best position is, with the 23-year-old often featuring in a number ten role, or a wide right position when coming off the bench.
He’s also featured in a slightly deeper box-to-box role, with his only start against Sunderland seeing him drop into a deeper role to allow him to have more of a bearing on proceedings.
McAtee, who’s been dubbed “incredible” by Micah Richards, completed 100% of the passes he attempted that day, whilst completing 100% of the tackles he attempted.
Such numbers showcase his talents in and out of possession, with the youngster more than capable of featuring as a deep-lying option – just as Anderson has this campaign.
A move for Hackney would certainly improve the Forest ranks in the summer window, but he could likely command a pretty penny that could be utilised in other areas of the squad.
As for McAtee, there’s little denying he’s endured a tricky start to life in the East Midlands, but he’s still a phenomenal talent who could have a huge part to play in the near future.
Nottingham Forest must rue selling £5m striker who’s now outscoring Mateta
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