Nuno Espirito Santo will look to bring one more player in before the end of Deadline Day.
Deadline Day is set to be busy for Nottingham Forest.
Giovanni Reyna joined the club last night on loan, but Nuno Espirito Santo has his eye on another transfer.
The boss will hope that the new faces will boost their chances of survival.
Forest’s search for a goalkeeper
Last night, Sami Mokbel of the Daily Mail announced on X that Forest are set to re-open talks with Sam Johnstone.
Any move for the keeper will be in the region of £15m.
The £40k-per-week star is said to be keen on the move, as he targets a spot in the England squad for the Euros.
Johnson would be an upgrade on Matt Turner
The goalkeeper spot for Forest has arguably been their weakest position across the entire squad this season, with neither Matt Turner nor Odysseas Vlachodimos impressing the Tricky Trees faithful.
The USMNT shot-stopper has been the first-choice this season, starting 17 of a possible 22 Premier League games this season. He started the campaign as the number one, but was benched for five consecutive games in November.
The potential signing of Johnstone would be a huge upgrade on the former Arsenal keeper, with Gary Lineker labelling the England star as “sensational.” The 30-year-old has started 16 games this season, but he has found himself on the bench since returning from injury.
Over those matches, Johnstone has kept five clean sheets, whereas Turner has only kept two, and the duo have both prevented around 5.40 goals overall this season.
The table below shows Johnstone’s clean sheet record over his last five seasons, which proves he is a keeper that can be relied upon behind any defence, whether it be at Palace or West Brom.
Johnstone’s Clean Sheet Record
Season
Appearances
Clean Sheets
PL 2023/24
16
5
PL 2022/23
9
3
Champ 2021/22
36
15
PL 2020/21
37
6
Champ 19/20
46
14
Stats via Sofascore
Johnstone is also an experienced player who could provide an important calmness to the backline, especially as Forest will inevitably be in the middle of a relegation scrap until the end of the season.
Furthermore, the frustrating side of Turner’s game is his frequent case of giving the ball away cheaply, with his passing being found when the opponent presses. The 29-year-old has made three errors leading to goals this season, but on the other hand, the Palace keeper hasn’t even made one, which not only provides much more security but also gives the side confidence in using the keeper as a safety outlet.
Overall, the fact that Nuno Santo is looking to secure a deal for a goalkeeper suggests that he doesn’t have full confidence in his keeper’s ability to perform at the desired level and standard. A move for Johnstone could be a very smart decision, and although he probably isn’t as cheap as the club would want, he would definitely be an upgrade on Turner.
