Why Glen Murray could be a massive coup for Nottingham Forest

According to The Athletic (h/t Nottinghamshire Live), Nottingham Forest are exploring the possibility of signing out-of-favour Brighton striker Glenn Murray on loan when the transfer window reopens in January.

As per the report, Reds boss Sabri Lamouchi is keen to bring in a fresh striker during the mid-season trading period to bolster the club’s surge for promotion and Murray has joined the shortlist of potential targets at the City Ground.

Southampton hitman Che Adams and Newcastle United star Dwight Gayle have also been touted as other options for the two-time European champions, who are set to prioritize the recruitment of a new striker in January to provide cover and competition for Lewis Grabban. (h/t Nottinghamshire Live)

Image result for glenn murray" — Glen Murray has started only thrice for Brighton in the Premier League so far this season (Getty Images)

Glen Murray, who bagged 23 goals in the Championship during the 2016-17 campaign to fire Brighton to Premier League promotion, played a key role in the Seagulls’ bid for survival in the top-flight under former manager Chris Highton.

The veteran has registered double figures in each of his previous two seasons in the Premier Leauge for the south-coast outfit. However, the arrival of Graham Potter as manager coupled with the rise of Aaron Connolly and the recruitment of Neal Maupay have pushed him down the pecking order this term.

Murray has only started thrice for the Seagulls in the Premier League so far this season and has largely been restricted to a bit-part role by Potter, who has favoured younger players for a starting role.

Meanwhile, a 2-1 defeat to Huddersfield Town at the weekend meant that Forest stretched their winless run in the Championship to five games ahead of a trip to Hull City on Boxing Day.

The Reds have lost valuable ground on their promotion rivals as a result of their slump in form in recent weeks and Lamouchi surely needs to find a way to stop the rut.

In Lewis Grabban, Forest have arguably one of the most devastating strikers in the Championship and the veteran has once again proven his worth with 10 goals so far.

However, there is not much depth in the attacking ranks at the City Ground beyond the 31-year-old, with Wolves loanee Rafa Mir failing to make an impact and Welsh prodigy Brennan Johnson still an unproven prospect at this level.

To that end, an injury to Grabban in the second half of the campaign could prove detrimental to Forest’s hopes of securing a top-six finish in the Championship, and the arrival of a reliable back-up in January could hold the key to avoiding a potential crisis.

To put things into perspective, Forest certainly need a temporary fix to sort out their lack of depth in front of goal and Glenn Murray could be a massive coup in that regard, given his proven track record of delivering the goods in the Premier League as well as in the Championship.

Verdict

The 36-year-old might not be the most flamboyant player available in the market but his reputation as a bonafide poacher inside the area (each of his 25 goals in the Premier League over the last two seasons has come from inside the box) means that Murray could be the ideal old-school finisher that Forest need to mount a strong promotion push.

Add to that his wealth of experience at this level and it doesn’t require a rocket scientist to figure out that Murray perfectly fits the bill as an excellent temporary fix at the City Ground.

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Having said that, Nottingham Forest going all out in their pursuit of Glenn Murray in January could make all the difference as the Reds look to end their long exile from the top-flight of English football.