Nottingham Forest boss Sean Dyche is now plotting a shock January transfer raid to sign a “magic” £20m forward, who could be the new manager’s first signing.
Forest keen to strengthen attacking options amid Kalimuendo uncertainty
Despite spending just a few months at the City Ground, it has recently emerged that Arnaud Kalimuendo’s future is already up in the air, with Forest now in talks over a deal to sell the striker to AS Roma, having made just a handful of substitute appearances.
It could be difficult for Kalimuendo to force his way into contention, given that Dyche knows he can trust Chris Wood from their time working together at Burnley, with the new manager taking the time to praise his former player for a top performance last season.
After Everton’s 2-0 defeat against the Tricky Trees, the former Toffees boss said: “I thought he was excellent today, doing all the hard yards. Not touching the ball very often, but doing everything he needs to to be a handful. He was the difference in my opinion today.”
chris-wood-nottingham-forest-europa-league
As such, the 54-year-old is likely to be excited by the prospect of working with Wood once again, and he is also looking to seal a reunion with another former player.
That is according to a report from Sports Boom, which reveals Dyche is now plotting a shock January transfer raid to sign Everton winger Dwight McNeil, with the manager determined to reunite the 25-year-old with Wood.
The duo formed a successful partnership at Burnley, which the new Nottingham Forest manager is aiming to replicate, although McNeil has since gone on to struggle at Everton, having failed to force his way into David Moyes’ plans so far this season.
Having arrived on Merseyside for a fee of £20m back in 2022, the 25-year-old still has two years remaining on his deal, but a move to the City Ground could be tempting, given that he arguably played his best football under Dyche…
“Magic” McNeil could kickstart his career at Forest
The forward has impressed at times since moving to Everton, chipping in with 12 goal contributions in 21 Premier League matches last season, while also once being lauded as “magic” by reporter Joe Thomas.
owever, game time became much more limited after Moyes’ arrival, and it is clear that Dyche has a lot of trust in the former Burnley man, who missed just two Premier League games for the Clarets across three seasons from 2019-20 to 2025
McNeil hasn’t always been the most prolific of attackers, but having sacked two managers already this season, Evangelos Marinakis needs to back Dyche, who is evidently a huge admirer of the winger.
Be the first to comment