News

29/01/2008 - Forest play Best waiting game

NOTTINGHAM Forest believe their efforts to land Leon Best will go right to the wire, with Coventry seemingly prepared to hold out to get the best possible deal for the striker before Thursday’s transfer deadline.

But it is understood that they continue to pursue two fall-back options, in the form of Watford’s Will Hoskins and Leicester City’s Matty Fryatt.
A deal to sign Hoskins on loan for the rest of the season, with a view to a possible permanent move in the future has, it is believed, already been thrashed out in principle between the two clubs.
While Forest have also monitored the position of Fryatt at Leicester City, where the former Walsall man remains a fringe figure under new boss Ian Holloway.
Forest attempted to sign the intelligent front-man in a joint deal with Julian Bennett, when they signed the full back from the Saddlers in January 2006.
And they may be tempted to move for him again, if Coventry do decide to hold-out against their advances for Best.
The situation does still seem to be in Forest’s favour however, with Best having publicly stated that he wishes to leave the Ricoh Arena in favour of a move to his home-town club – a view that prompted an angry backlash from Sky Blues supporters when he came on as a last minute substitute during their FA Cup clash with Milwall over the weekend.
Forest have so far made three offers for the 20-year-old, the last of which was believed to be in the region of £1.1m.
That would represent a healthy profit on the £650,000 Coventry were ordered to pay Southampton by a transfer tribunal when the player moved in the summer and, although Ian Dowie’s club insist they value the player closer to £2m, they may well do business rather than be saddled with an unsettled player.