Nottingham Forest need a new midfielder and Aston Villa’s Gary Gardner and Watford’s Ben Watson are at the top of their wishlist.
With just two weeks of the transfer window remaining, Nottingham Forest still have work to do with another central midfielder high on their list of demands.
This is despite the superb form of Chris Cohen and David Vaughan in the final weeks of last season and the impressive impact made by Andreas Bouchalakis.
A return to the City Ground for former fans favourite Gary Gardner, who enjoyed excellent loan spells in 2015 and 2016, had been mooted but, according to the Nottingham Post, Forest now face competition for the Aston Villa midfielder’s signature.
The report claims Championship rivals Barnsley have entered the chase to land the 25-year-old on loan for the season.
Therefore, you wonder whether this has inspired Forest to turn their attention towards Watford’s Ben Watson, a player with a vast amount of Championship experience under his belt. The Mirror (15th August, page 48) reports that the 32-year-old is out of contract next summer so The Hornets could look to move him on now and get a decent fee in return.
Watson, who famously netted a last-gasp winner in the 2013 FA Cup final as Wigan Athletic stunned Manchester City, would certainly add a degree of protection in front of a shaky Forest defence who conceded three times against Brentford on Saturday.
And, in truth, he could be exactly the kind of experienced, stabilising influence Forest need while Warburton can already call upon players of Gardner’s ilk.
The report adds that Cardiff City are also keen on the midfielder but, if Forest are to improve on a defensive record that saw them flirt with relegation until the final day last season, you don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to realise Watson would be an astute addition.
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