Nottingham Forest manager Mark Warburton will know Celtic’s Erik Sviatchenko from his time at Ibrox as Rangers manager.
Nottingham Forest manager Mark Warburton’s time in Scotland has certainly seemed to have a lasting effect on the former Rangers manager, after almost two years in the job at Ibrox.
It saw the ex-Brentford manager land three Scottish stars in the summer, two from Scottish Premiership clubs in Jason Cummings and Barrie McKay as well as former Leeds midfielder Liam Bridcutt.
He is set to enter the January transfer window once again as Forest desperately need to plug a leak at the back, and a centre-back should be on the top of his radar. Forest have kept just five clean sheets in 22 Championship matches.
It should see the ex-Rangers manager turn to Celtic’s colossal defender Erik Sviatchenko, after the Scottish Sun exclusively claimed that the 26-year-old is set to leave next month.
Brendan Rodgers is closing in on the £1million signing of RedBull Leipzig’s experienced centre-back Marvin Compper, leaving Sviatchenko way down the pecking order behind Dedryck Boyata, Jozo Simunovic and Kristoffer Ajer.
A five-time Denmark international, Sviatchenko has made just two appearances all season as a long-injury lay-off continues to disrupt his battle to regain full fitness.
Matt Mills has been below par, while youngster Joe Worrall has shown his inexperience on occasion. Landing an experienced player like Sviatchenko, who has played against the world’s best, would give Forest’s play-off hopes a huge boost.
Players who have moved from the Scottish Premiership into the Championship in the summer have shone, such as McKay, Martyn Waghorn and Joe Garner and Sviatchenko would certainly be another example of that if Warburton decides to raid his old foes Celtic.
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