ALL this talk about Forest signing a highly-rated young winger has reminded me of a player that looks to have fallen off the face off the earth, well, the City Ground anyway.
Whatever happened to Stephen McLaughlin?
The Reds spent a good few quid to get him from Derry City at the start of this year and we haven't seen him pull on a red shirt once. Not once!
I know he was a Sean O'Driscoll signing so Billy Davies might not fancy him, but surely he deserves a chance to prove he can cut it in the Championship.
The latest winger to be linked with the Reds is Walsall's Jamie Paterson, who, at 21, is two years younger than McLaughlin.
If he does come to the City Ground, with some people saying a fee has been agreed, I hope he is given the chance that McLaughlin has so far not been given.
It would be a waste of money to get another good kid in and not play them.
Paterson is slightly different to McLaughlin because he would arrive with experience of English football, having played almost 100 league games over three seasons at Walsall.
He is considered to be one of the best players in League One and I'm glad Forest are looking at players like him because there are always good players in lower leagues.
Look at the likes of Anthony Pilkington.
He was playing against Notts County for Huddersfield Town in League One one minute and then scoring against Man United for Norwich City in the Premiership the next.
There are lots of examples of clubs plucking good young players from League One or League Two and hopefully Paterson is the next one.
One thing is certain. Forest certainly need more new players.
They return to pre-season training today and they've only made three signings – and two of those are players that were at the City Ground last season, in Gonzalo Jara and Darius Henderson.
The only new face is defender Eric Lichaj so the Reds are still clearly a few players short of a squad that is capable of challenging for the Premier League, which is what everyone is expecting them to do after they went so close in the end last season.
One player who I don't think will be coming, or rather coming back, is Wes Morgan.
I just can't see it happening.
He was a great servant to the club for many years – and a key player in two play-off pushes – so I can see why a lot of fans want to see him return to the City Ground.
But for a start, I don't think Forest could afford him.
He will be on a fortune at Leicester and I don't think the Reds could match it.
I also don't think the Foxes will be willing to sell one of their best players.
Morgan is their captain, he was their Player of the Year last season and got into the Championship team of the year just for good measure, so they're not going to let him go.
It looks like they're trying to cut their wage bill to get into line with the Financial Fair Play rules, but they are doing that by getting rid of players they don't want, like Jermaine Beckford, not their prized assets.
They've already rejected a few bids from Hull City for their No.1 goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel and I'm sure they'll do the same with Forest for Morgan.
And anyway, it's at the other end of the pitch that Forest really need to strengthen.
They certainly need more firepower, with only Dexter Blackstock and Simon Cox looking to be in Billy Davies' plans, and more width, which Paterson would add, and I also think they need more in midfield.
It's been a quiet summer for signings, but they're going to have to pull their finger out now they're back in training because it's not long until the big kick off against Huddersfield at the City Ground on August 3.
I hope by then they will have a squad in place to challenge for the top.
