Nottingham Forest may need to aim high to keep their best young players – and this appointment has done exactly that.
Who can blame Nottingham Forest for wanting to show ambition after their FA Cup defeat of Arsenal on Sunday?
Forest stunned the holders in an outstanding win under interim manager Gary Brazil, with a number of academy graduates starring at the City Ground.
The weekend was then followed by news of Aitor Karanka’s arrival as the club’s new manager – an appointment that does not necessarily fit with the advancement of young stars.
But one thing Karanka does have in his favour – and surely the reason Forest have looked to him – is that he has experience of achieving promotion from the Championship.
Forest cannot have brought the former Middlesbrough manager in for a style of play that bored fans at the Riverside to tears.
However, they will be hoping that Karanka can again muster a serious challenge and look to finally return Forest to the big time.
And it could be that such success is a necessity to keep the likes of Joe Worrall, Ben Osborn and Ben Brereton happy in Nottingham.
Forest have seen Jamaal Lascelles and Karl Darlow leave for the bright lights of the Premier League in recent years, along with other talented players who saw no route to the top flight at the City Ground.
Karanka’s arrival should encourage Brereton and co that they can achieve their lofty dreams at their current club.
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