What Nuno hopes Nottingham Forest will accomplish in terms of transfer work

The celebration from Callum Hudson-Odoi was muted. But it said much about what head coach Nuno Espirito Santo wants from his Nottingham Forest side.

Hudson-Odoi netted a peach of a goal on the south coast. It was his second of the season and brought the visitors level after a poor start against Bournemouth. He could have been forgiven for making more of the moment than he did.

Instead, he quickly ran towards the centre circle and urged his teammates to do the same. The clear message was for the Reds to push for more.

The Reds will have made the return trip north with positives to reflect on. But there will also have been some degree of frustration that they did not come away with more than a point to show for their efforts.

Keeper call

With Matz Sels’ work permit approved in time, the deadline day signing was thrown straight into the starting line-up. Nuno said it was “not an easy decision” to make, but – perhaps in the FA Cup aside – it is surely the Belgian’s shirt now.

The goalkeeping spot has been a problem area for Forest all season. Matt Turner and Odysseas Vlachodimos have both struggled. It is far too soon to judge Sels after just one game – and particularly after a game in which he didn’t really have a save to make – but he made a positive first impression. He communicated well, was confident coming for balls and generally looked composed.

There is a fair bit riding on the club having got this call right. A number of targets were looked at once the Reds had changed their minds about strengthening between the posts.

Forest know the difference a keeper can make. They know he can win or cost precious points. It could be the difference between survival or the unthinkable.

It has not reached that point yet, but the team certainly need stability in that area after chopping and changing between Turner and Vlachodimos. Underlining how much of a headache the position has been was the fact all four keepers on the books took part in the pre-match warm-up – Sels, Turner, Vlachodimos and Wayne Hennessey. Turner and Vlachodimos were both named on the bench as the squad continues to be stretched due to injuries and absences.

Sels will be the No.1 now. But he will have sterner tests to come.

Attacking options

In addition to Sels, Gio Reyna and Rodrigo Ribeiro put pen to paper at the City Ground before the transfer window closed. Bolstering resources at the top end of the pitch was a priority for the club.

Reyna showed some nice touches during his brief time on the pitch and looked keen to get on the ball. Ribeiro’s cameo was even briefer; he barely had time to get involved at all.

The likelihood is Reyna will play the greater part of the two. Ribeiro is seen as a bright prospect but has little first-team experience. Forest will still need him, though, as they remain short of options.

Chris Wood was absent with the hamstring issue he sustained against Arsenal, while Divock Origi remains out. That Nuno was able to get 90 minutes out of Taiwo Awoniyi and almost 80 from Anthony Elanga on their first starts since returning from injury is a huge positive. He will be nervously waiting to see how Hudson-Odoi is, after he hobbled off following the challenge by Philip Billing which earned the Bournemouth man a red card.

Once everyone is fit and firing, Forest have a talented attacking group – especially if Hudson-Odoi builds on the confidence boost his goal should give him. Under Nuno the Reds have shown they are capable of finding the back of the net. The frustration was they didn’t offer more in the final third in what became a scrappy second half at the Vitality Stadium.

Orel Mangala was the most notable departure among the players to move on in the transfer window. Midfield is an area where the Reds are well stocked, though – once they have Ibrahim Sangare and Cheikhou Kouyate available again.

Sangare remains at the Africa Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast. Kouyate’s tournament ended last week but he was given extra time off to spend with his family, following the death of his father.

The partnership of Ryan Yates and Nicolas Dominguez raised a few questions on Sunday. It might not be the midfield axis long-term, with Nuno a fan of Sangare. But after initially struggling to get a grip on the game against the Cherries, the duo got through a lot of work – Dominguez, in particular, never stopped running.

Nuno has options at the back now, too. Moussa Niakhate was on the bench after returning from AFCON but may well find it tough to get his place back. Likewise, Willy Boly when he links up with the squad again.

Murillo was excellent against Bournemouth. His central defensive partnership with Andrew Omobamidele is showing a lot of promise. The duo ensured Dominic Solanke barely had a look-in.