5 players who could leave Nottingham Forest in the summer

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The Reds remain in the hunt for the Championship playoffs.

Nottingham Forest’s Championship season has been very much up and down, with some superb results – the New Year’s Day triumph over Leeds United and February’s win over rivals Derby County – offset by a general inconsistency and several poor results.

March was a great example of just how frustrating it has been to watch the Reds this season – a 2-0 loss at Stoke, followed by a 3-0 hammering of Hull, followed by a 3-1 home defeat to Aston Villa, and then a 1-1 draw with struggling Ipswich.

That Forest remain just three points from the playoffs is testament to just how tight the league is this season and how all teams are taking points off of each other, and as such there is all to play for in the next eight games.

As noted on Transfermarkt, the vast majority of the Trickies squad is contracted until at least 2020, with several players – Joao Carvalho, Joe Lolley and Arvin Appiah – tied until 2023, which bodes well in terms of retaining players for next season, whether in the Premier League or the Championship.

Forest also have seven loanees in their ranks, with varying degrees of game time under their belts, and Newcastle United midfielder Jack Colback is one player who Martin O’Neill seems keen on signing permanently, according to Nottinghamshire Live.

In terms of out-of-contract players on their books, there are just three – Stephen Henderson, Jamie Ward (both away on loan) and Juan Rafael Fuentes, who seem unlikely to be given extensions given how little game time they’ve had for the Reds.

There are several other players who, despite being contracted beyond this summer, also look as if they could move on, such as Liam Bridcutt, who has barely featured under either O’Neill or Aitor Karanka, and likewise with Karim Ansarifard, who has been linked with a return to Greece at the end of the season, according to SDNA.

In conclusion, it seems as though Forest are very well placed next season in terms of personnel, with virtually all of the key players contracted to the club for a number of years still and, should they not claim promotion this term, they have a good springboard in place for 2019-20.