Nottingham Forest are looking to strengthen their team to prepare for their return to the Premier League, but there has been a new update that could cause a setback for Steve Cooper.
What’s the latest?
According to Football Insider, Ligue One side Nantes have submitted a bid for Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Brice Samba with all parties now in talks over a solution to his future.
As per the report, Samba rejected an offer for a new contract at the club and a recruitment source has told the publication that the French club are looking for a way to exploit his current situation by tempting him with a move back to France.
Bad news for Cooper
The latest news of Samba’s potential exit from the club will surely leave Steve Cooper scrambling for potential transfer options that can come in and take the place of the ‘keeper should he leave this summer.
Nottingham Forest have been linked with signing Nick Pope from recently relegated side Burnley but will need to compete with Fulham and West Ham United who are both reportedly interested in securing the stopper’s signature this summer.
Will Samba be a big loss for Forest?
Cooper’s side conceded the second-fewest number of goals in the 2021/22 season (40) only one goal more than automatically promoted Bournemouth (39) which is a great achievement and a reflection of how solid Samba has been in goal for the club during their promotion challenge.
The 28-year-old kept the sixth most clean sheets in the Championship with 14 in 40 appearances, but his most notable performance came in the play-off semi-final penalty shoot-out when the incredible keeper saved three Sheffield United penalties to send his team to the final and earned Man of the Match.
With that being said, Cooper and the powers at Forest will now need to step up their interest in Pope and focus on identifying a new keeper to join the Midlands club this summer, as they could run the risk of weakening their squad should Samba leave 12 months sooner than his contract expiration.
