Nottingham Forest: Play-off winner left fuming by squad omission

Steve Cooper has made a controversial decision…

Nottingham Forest’s list of stars is one that is forever growing, such is the nature of how they operate in the transfer market. They welcomed a total of 14 reinforcements during the summer, once again handing Steve Cooper plenty of financial backing in the Premier League.

So far, that investment has paid off, too, with two wins from their opening four games – three of which have been against the classic top six – representing a solid start. Now in their second season, the Midlands club will be aiming for consistency, as they hope to become a permanent fixture in England’s top flight.

Keeping everyone happy will be difficult, however, given how many arrivals came through the door in the summer, and one player has already been left fuming after being left out of Cooper’s Premier League squad, according to reports.

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Spending over £100m in the summer, Forest proved once and for all just how good their new-look side can be when they travelled to Stamford Bridge. Defeating Chelsea 1-0 courtesy of Anthony Elanga’s first goal for the club since making the move from Manchester United.

Whether they are at their best or not, though, those in the Midlands will have to compete wthout goalkepeer Ethan Horvath, who has been left out of Cooper’s Premier League squad.

According to Alan Nixon, the former Luton Town loanee is fuming about the decision, having been refused an exit in the summer transfer window, even though loan offers reportedly came in for the shot-stopper.

Horvath will now have to wait until January to secure a move away, with his game-time incredibly limited between now and then. When the January window does swing open, it will be interesting to see whether Forest sanction the departure of their goalkeeper.

Should Nottingham Forest sell Ethan Horvath?

After leaving Horvath out of his Premier League squad, it seems clear that Cooper does not have the goalkeeper in his plans, making a departure a suitable outcome for all involved.

As things stand, the Forest boss has Matt Turner to call on when it comes to the starting place between the sticks, and will be hoping to see the former Arsenal man maintain top form for his new club.

It’s a slight surprise that Horvath wasn’t given an opportunity to compete for the number one spot at the City Ground, when looking back at last season. The goalkeeper spent the previous campaign on loan at Luton Town, where he played a key part in their eventual play-off victory to earn promotion to the Premier League.

Horvath earned plenty of praise during his loan spell at the Hatters, including from manager Rob Edwards, who had nothing but good things to say about the goalkeeper, even after his mistake, telling Luton Today: “We’ll all support him as we support every one of our lads.

“He’s mentally tough, he’s been brilliant, so for me, the goal counts, of course it does, but it was the bit before that I’ll really look at and focus on. They shouldn’t be getting that opportunity in the first place.