30-year-old won’t join Cooper at Nottingham Forest, he’s off to Romania

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Nottingham Forest are set to miss out on Facundo Ferreyra with the former Newcastle United striker on his way to Romania, as reported by ProSport. 

While a 1-1 draw at Millwall wasn’t the dream start Steve Cooper would have hoped for as he settles into the hottest of managerial hot seats, there were plenty of positives for Chris Hughton’s replacement to savour on Saturday afternoon. 

Cooper labelled wing-backs Djed Spence and Max Lowe as “outstanding” at The Den. 

Joe Garner and Brennan Johnson, meanwhile, looked sharp and creative in the final third while Joe Lolley, one of the most feared forwards in the Championship on his day, appears to be edging closer to his mercurial, match-winning potential. 

The question is, does Cooper have the requisite firepower to turn Forest from lower-table water-treaders into genuine promotion contenders?

The lacklustre Lyle Taylor continues to infuriate the City Ground faithful while Lewis Grabban, the most instinctive finisher in the Forest squad, has scored just eight times in his past 36 Championship games. 

And, for better or worse, free agent Ferreyra won’t be arriving to stake his claim as the silver-bullet solution to Forest’s goalscoring problems.

Nottingham Forest need goals but Facundo Ferreyra won’t be supplying them

A few weeks ago, Argentine publication En Cancha reported the two-time European champions had expressed interest in a 30-year-old poacher who has turned out for Celta Vigo, Benfica, Shakhtar Donetsk and, forgettably, Newcastle United. 

It’s understood the well-travelled Ferreyra will be dusting off his passport and practising his Romanian instead. 

ProSport claims a deal has been agreed that will see Ferreyra join reigning Liga 1 champions CFR Cluj.  

However, there won’t be too many tears falling among Forest fans. Ferreyra’s goalscoring record leaves a lot to be desired. A grand total of four goals since the start of the 2018/19 season suggests the Argentinian would be more Nicolao Dumitru than Ian Storey-Moore.

And if Cooper could lead a Swansea side without a reliable number nine on its books to a fourth-place finish last season, it’s tempting to wonder what he could achieve with a rejuvenated Grabban in his team.