For ordinary people, January represented the arrival of the new year, the holidays, and the auspicious snow. But for European professional football clubs, January represented a busy transfer period.
Did Nottingham Forest have anything to add? Apart from Gareth Bale's serious injury, Nottingham Forest's injuries were relatively minor. This had something to do with their good physical fitness reserves during the summer preparation period. The intensive matches during the Christmas period did not wear down the team's stamina, so naturally, there would not be many inexplicable injuries.
Tang En rarely bought players during the winter transfer period unless he had no other choice. There were many restrictions on the players bought midway through this period, and it was impossible to buy any good and cheap players at this time. The good players had all been transferred in the summer, and the remaining ones were either priced too high, had limited standards, or could not participate in the Champions League. In addition, players who joined the team midway often did not have time to familiarize themselves with the team's style and had to play immediately. Therefore, their level of tacit understanding with their teammates was not as good as the players who joined in the summer, which affected the team's performance.
Tang En had long told Evan and Allan that Forest would not buy anyone in January. There was no need to.
If Joe Mattock was loaned out, they might have to buy a left back to supplement. But now, Mattock's performance after a few appearances was rather solid. He was worthy of being the player that Stuart Pearce, the manager of England's U21 national team, had strongly recommended to him. It was good to have someone at the top … There were opportunities to take advantage of!
Tang En had already decided to focus on nurturing Mattock as Forest's future main left back.
Nottingham Forest not buying in winter did not mean that their players would not be coveted by other teams.
After AC Milan in the summer, there was no longer any mention of bringing in George Wood. Everyone knew that the English football scene had those who were loyal to a team, such as Manchester United's Scholes and Giggs, Chelsea's Terry and Lampard, Liverpool's Gerrard and Carragher … It was almost impossible to buy such people. Although George Wood was still young, he had already entered the ranks of the "loyal" players.
Wood was naturally not for sale for Nottingham Forest, but the other players did not have this label.
Aaron Lennon had won the attention of more and more other teams over the years with his stable and outstanding performance in Nottingham Forest. This season seemed to be a good time to bring him away from the City Ground stadium, because his direct rival in the national team, Bentley, had been brought into the team. The media all thought that Lennon must have some dissatisfaction in his heart. Although he did not show it, it was not easy for him to stabilize his position as the team's main force. It was really frustrating to have another competitor.
Two clubs have already announced their interest in Lennon. One was England's Tottenham Hotspur. They had hoped to bring in Lennon before he went to Nottingham Forest. Unfortunately, Lennon chose Tony Twain at that time. Tottenham Hotspur still "refused to give up" on Lennon, and they were still thinking about him until now.
The other was La Liga's Valencia. Joaquín and Vicente, the former Spanish golden wings, were now about to turn 30. Frequent injuries had affected their attendance. After David Silva was sold to Real Madrid, they lacked a new force on the flanks. Therefore, Valencia's top brass, who had finally survived the economic crisis, turned their attention to Lennon, who was fast and good at breaking through and assisting on the flanks.
Regarding the rumors that these two clubs wanted to buy Lennon, Twain's response was: "Not for sale!"
What a joke. There were only a few players on his flanks, two on the left and two on the right. If he sold one, what if the other one was suddenly injured? Furthermore, Lennon had played in the Forest youth team and could be considered to have been groomed in the Forest youth camp. He could also play a role in the Champions League qualification registration, and he also had feelings for Nottingham Forest. Such a player, unless he had made any unforgivable mistakes, Twain would basically not move.
Kompany and Pepe still had many teams wanting to buy them every year. After Piqué left, the two of them were the mainstays of Nottingham Forest's rear defensive line. Although Woodgate was also good, in terms of level and physical fitness, he was still a little worse than the previous two.
Twain's attitude towards these two men was also: not for sale.
What did Nottingham Forest rely on to make a name for itself? If the backbone of their defense was sold, how could they continue to survive?
There were teams interested in Leighton Baines. It was not a powerhouse team, just a mid-tier Premier League team. To this, Twain did not flatly refuse. Because now that Gareth Bale had confirmed his retirement for this season, it was impossible to sell another left back during the winter transfer period. But in Twain's heart, Baines was not an unsellable player. If Mattock developed in the future, Baines was bound to be ranked third among the team's left backs. At that time, it would not be good for him or the team. He was only 25 years old now. If he wanted to sell, this would be the best time to sell for money.
When Twain rejected those teams' inquiries, he also added, "In the winter transfer period, we will not consider selling left backs."
As Twain gradually began to play with two defensive midfielders this season, Tiago also contributed a lot in the offense. As a result, his number of appearances had exceeded last season, and he was even ranked ahead of Şahin by a slight margin. Tiago's performance subsequently became outstanding, and it also attracted the attention of other teams.
Portugal's Benfica hoped to recall their old player, and Spain's Villarreal also hoped to get him. Twain did not want to sell him for the time being, thinking that he had not found a suitable successor. When Twain decided to sell a player, he must have already confirmed the backup player for the same position. That way, he would not have his plans disrupted by some unexpected circumstances. There were many kinds of inexplicable accidents in life.
At the beginning of the season, Twain kept John Bostock in the team because he felt that the team would be fighting on multiple fronts, and Bostock would not lack the opportunity to play and train. But after half a season, he discovered that he was wrong. Due to tactical adjustments, Bostock's opportunities to play on the field decreased sharply. Moreover, he could only play in the middle of the midfield. Among the four players in the middle of the midfield, his ability and experience were ranked last. Naturally, his opportunities to play on the field were also the least. This was not conducive to his growth. Bostock had once talked to Twain alone. Of course, he did not say that he planned to transfer and leave Nottingham Forest. Instead, he said that he hoped to seek opportunities to play on the field through a loan to gain experience.
Twain seriously considered it for a long time and finally agreed to his decision. Adriano Moke, Nicolás Millán, and Victor Moses were all out on loan. Their performances were good and bad, but it was better than sitting on the bench and wasting away their time.
After entering January, Nottingham Forest received three applications in succession for Bostock to be loaned out. One of them was to have the right of first refusal after the loan. That club was immediately shot down by Twain. He had not thought of selling Bostock yet. The kid had great potential, but he needed time to develop.
In the end, the two remaining clubs were Fulham and West Ham United. Twain agreed to all of them. The rest was up to Bostock himself to choose. It had nothing to do with him.
Chris Cohen, a low-profile player who had gradually revealed his edge after going through many trials and tribulations, had gained the favor of many teams after his outstanding performance in a season and a half. His and Matías Fernández's performances on the left continued the tradition of Forest's emphasis on the flanks and having outstanding players on the flanks. Fernández would occasionally play as a player in the middle. Cohen was also a versatile player who excelled in both flanks and in the middle. However, Twain fixed him on the flanks because there were too many players in the middle.
His performance did not disappoint Twain's expectations. He was diligent and never complained about being on the bench. Halfway through the season, he had two goals and six assists. Initially, he was seen as the second Chris Commons. Both of them had the same name. The media, experts, and fans thought that Cohen's outcome in Forest was to sit on the bench for a few years and then leave helplessly. However, they never thought that Commons would use his proper attitude and ability to move the Forest coaching staff. Not only did he stay in Forest, but he also became the main player in rotation with Fernández.
There was one thing that could directly and concretely illustrate Chris Cohen's current level. In the famous football manager game FM 2011, which had just been released for less than two months, Cohen's potential was fixed at 152. This potential value was not high, and it did not stand out when compared to the Mavericks who easily had more than 180. However, his data distribution was quite scientific. In the few key statistics needed for the left midfielder position, the values were very good. His current ability of 145 gave him 16 points for passing and passing, 15 points for technique, 14 points for stopping the ball, 18 points for endurance, 14 points for speed, and 19 points for teamwork.
The general feedback from such players was: low potential, high energy, and very useful. The other numbers were not good, but his actual performance was outstanding.
SI and Nottingham Forest had a cooperative relationship. They could have the most direct and detailed observation of Forest's players, so the numbers they gave were generally the most authoritative. Many players liked to buy Forest's players when they played FM because they were very useful regardless of their statistics. Perhaps this was SI's favoritism? There was even a rumor among the players that Tony Twain played FM to coach the team and poach the Mavericks from all over the country.
In terms of the forwards, Žigić's performance also ushered in the second turning point of his career. As a center forward, he still did not score many goals and was criticized by many fans. However, people who really understood football knew Žigić's important position in the Forest team. First of all, with him, the Forest team would have the absolute aerial advantage in the front field. Second, his existence could greatly enrich the Forest team's offensive routines. He could start the ball from both sides and forcefully bombard. He could also sit as a center forward and create opportunities for his teammates to plug in after receiving passes. Whether it was a long pass or a short pass, he was needed as a bridgehead. Third, when defending against a set piece, he could also retreat back to play as a center back to defend against air attacks.
Twain always valued this kind of player who looked ordinary but could always play a role that ordinary people could not notice. Žigić's character was also clearly much better than his predecessor, Bendtner. He had been in the team for a few years and had always kept a low profile, never stirring up trouble.
Such a low-key person was now like a light bulb in the dark, attracting bugs.
Newcastle, Middlesbrough, Atletico Madrid, RCD Espanyol, and Italy's Fiorentina and Napoli were all interested in bringing in this lighthouse in the front field, who could score goals himself and create opportunities for his teammates.
Although the most eye-catching transfer rumors in the transfer market every year were the transfer rumors of superstars, in reality, most of the transfer market's transactions came from these second-string players.
Of course, Twain would not be willing to sell Žigić. It was too difficult to find a good center forward now.
However, Allan Adams found him.
※ ※ ※
Twain had already figured it out. Whenever Allan took the initiative to look for him, it would most likely not be a good thing. It was not that the club's finances were tight and his plan to apply to buy a few players to increase their strength was forced to be put on hold. It was that the club's finances were tight and the team needed to buy a few players to ease the situation. Or it was that they hoped Twain would pay attention to controlling the team's budget.
The relationship between Nottingham Forest's three giants had always been delicate. There was no need to mention the relationship between Evan and Allan. They were partners who had fought together until now. As for Evan and Tony, they could be considered old friends at first sight. The two of them got along well. As for Tony and Allan … it was a little complicated. On one hand, they were colleagues and naturally had to work together. For example, most of the time when Twain bought players, it was Allan who went out to negotiate. Occasionally, they could joke together and chat about everything under the sun. The atmosphere was very harmonious. But on the other hand, because of their work relationship, Twain and Allan held each other in check. Naturally, they would not have too much of a good impression of each other. Twain had to spend money, and Allan had to earn money. This was a basic contradiction. In addition, there were times when Twain always felt that Allan used money as a cover and interfered too much with the team's affairs, which made him a little unhappy.
This was, of course, Evan's way of management. Everyone held each other in check, which made things more stable.
However, he could not control what others thought in their hearts.
Allan clearly knew how Twain thought of him, so he jokingly pointed out his purpose when he saw Twain. "I know what you're thinking, Tony. You've guessed correctly. "
Twain looked at him in annoyance.
"Evan and I both think you should seriously consider those clubs' offers for Žigić."
"I need a center forward, Allan."
"Can't the Bosnian do?"
"He's still lacking …"
"Then groom him, Tony. We all believe that you have this ability. "
Twain spread his hands and bent his fingers, like a magician about to perform some magic trick to warm up. "Look, Allan. I have nothing in my hands right now. "Then he clenched his hands and waved them quickly in the air, spreading them out again. "Still nothing."
Twain, who was empty-handed, said to Allan, "I'm not a magician. I can make anything happen."
"Tony, Milan and Moses will be back next season. How do you plan to arrange your forward line?" Allan asked, not caring about Twain's changing sarcasm.
"Ruud will retire. Milan, Moses, and Agbonlahor can all play as wingers or attacking midfielders."
"We don't lack players in the midfield."
Twain shook his head. "I plan to change the formation." He planned to explain in detail how to change the formation, but when he saw Allan's face, he lost interest. He talked non-stop, and the American who had become a monk halfway through his career might not understand much.
Allan sat down and said very sincerely to Twain, "Tony, you know, we've never asked you to sell your core players. But I really don't think Žigić is the kind of person who is indispensable. His performance in the past two seasons is still considered outstanding, so there are suddenly a lot of clubs interested in him. I'm a businessman. I know that when a product is at its most valuable, we should decisively sell it. Otherwise, when its value drops, we won't be able to sell it even if we want to. Selling Žigić can bring in a sum of income for the club, and it can also reduce the wage burden. I think this is a very worthwhile business deal. "
Twain snorted in his heart. Businessmen, of course, only talked about business.
But he did not argue with Allan. Allan was right about one thing at least — Žigić was really not an indispensable and irreplaceable player. And in his new formation, he really did not need too many strikers …
But he needed a way out … "Give me a few days to think about it, Allan."
Allan Adams smiled. "I'll wait for your news, Tony."
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