People like the transfer window right? It’s exciting, club X are trying to sign player Y, that in-form forward might be arriving at your club, or that terrifying defender who had your star-striker in his back pocket earlier in the season may be coming to your club.
Whatever is happening, time spent in front of Sky Sports News’ transfer ticker brings out many a joyous moment and sometimes, especially at the deadline hour, it can rival the latest Hollywood blockbuster for entertainment value. However, Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cotterill must have been tormented by the transfer window as a small child as he is not such a huge fan.
Forest currently lie in the relegation zone having won only one of their last nine matches and Cotterill is cautious that such horrendous form may turn the heads of some of his players. There are some murmurs of bitter local rivals Derby County launching a bid to sign starlet Lewis McGugan, who is out of contract in the summer, whilst captain Luke Chambers, Wes Morgan and Joel Lynch all see their contracts expire in the summer.
Of course, with a few other clubs also expressing an interest in McGugan, there is a feeling that the circumstance may arise like the sinking of the Costa Concordia, with certain players using the uncertainty of their contracts to negotiate the jump to sunnier climbs, before ending up in the obscure back-waters of League One.
Cotterill, who saw his team beaten 0-3 by Southampton at the City Ground on Saturday, would obviously like all talk of the future of his players to cease so he can concentrate on steering his ship to safety. “The sooner this transfer window shuts and the sooner we get players back from injury, the better”, said the coach who hides behind the back of the sofa when any mention of the hated transfer window is heard, so they say. He even nastily referred to it as a “pain in the neck”.
Experienced forward Marlon Harewood has been the only player through the Nottingham Forest arrival door in this window, while they have been linked with Sheffield United’s Stephen Quinn and have given a trial to FC Toronto’s gigantic 6ft 5 defender Jordan Iro.
Cotterill is also not a big fan of injuries hampering his squad, with Chris Cohen, Ishmael Miller and Wes Morgan all long-term absentees disrupting the harmony of his team. However, with midfielders Paul Anderson and Gareth McCleary also on the verge of expired contracts, Cotterill is desperate for the window to close, rather than it have stay open to let the burglars in.
@AdamGray1250