Nottingham Forest's erratic dealings within the transfer market has left the club needing to cut down the playing squad in recent windows to save money on wages.

Players have recently left the City Ground on loan and permanently, with a mixture of fan favourites and wager burners departing the club for a new adventure.

Orel Mangala left the club in January to join Lyon in Ligue 1, with the Belgian's loan deal having an option to make it permanent in the summer. The deal could total as much as £30m, with the popular midfielder potentially making the club a hefty profit on the £12m the club paid for him less than two years ago.

The club also allowed flop Jonjo Shelvey to leave the club after his failure of a move to the club, with the former Newcastle United midfielder earning £80k-per-week during his time at the City Ground.

New boss Nuno Espírito Santo joined the club on December 20th and immediately said he wanted to cut down the squad size, with multiple players leaving the Reds. However, he might regret letting one man leave in January, with the player impressing at his new club since the start of the new year.

Scott McKenna's stats at Nottingham Forest

After joining the club for £3m from Aberdeen in 2020, centre-back Scott McKenna quickly impressed Forest fans with the left-footed defender fitting straight into the Reds' back four.

The Scotland international formed a great partnership with Academy graduate Joe Worrall during the 2021/22 season, with McKenna rapidly proving himself to be one of the best defenders in the Championship.

He made 45 appearances during the Reds' promotion season, with McKenna featuring for 3989 minutes throughout the campaign, with the defender pivotal to the club's success under boss Steve Cooper.

McKenna continued to consistently feature at the heart of the Forest defence in the club's first Premier League season in 23 years. However, his form was very up-and-down, with the Scotsman unable to replicate his consistent form during the Reds' promotion campaign.

He made 20 appearances throughout the 2022/23 season, with the centre-back finding it hard to dislodge the likes of Moussa Niakhate and Willy Boly from the heart of the Forest defence.

The former Aberdeen man also struggled with separate injuries, just as he was starting to find his feet and impress in the Premier League. He suffered a hamstring and shoulder injury during the back end of last season, with McKenna only featuring six times after the turn of the new year.

After recovering from his setbacks, he featured at the start of this season, with McKenna often rotating with Boly and Worrall, with Niakhate and Felipe struggling with injuries.

He made five appearances during the opening stages of the campaign before the arrivals of Andrew Omobamidele and Murillo plus a fall-out with Cooper saw him rapidly drop down the pecking order before training away from the first-team squad.

Cooper's departure in December gave the defender a fresh opportunity to stake his claim for a place under Nuno, However, he had to settle for a loan move away from the club with just six months left on his current deal at the City Ground.

Scott McKenna's stats since leaving Nottingham Forest

After being told he was free to leave the club, the defender was heavily linked with a move back to Scotland to join Rangers. Despite the links, McKenna made a shock move to join FC Copenhagen in Denmark, with the 27-year-old joining the club on loan until the end of the season.

He's since made five appearances for Copenhagen, two of which have come in the Champions League against current holders Manchester City.

The defender has played every minute since his arrival, with McKenna making an instant impact in Denmark under boss Jacob Neestrup.

Speaking ahead of Wednesday night's defeat for the Danish side at the Etihad, the Copenhagen manager said: "He is calm and mature, it is simplicity in a very positive way. He is a defender with a big D.

"He has had a very good start in Copenhagen and I see him grow from one level to where he is now. He will become even stronger in terms of reaching our goals for the spring in Copenhagen."

McKenna impressed against the European champions this week, with the former Aberdeen man proving a lot of doubters wrong despite Copenhagen's exit from the competition.

He made 51 passes at a competition rate of 91% – with the defender looking calm in possession despite City's high-pressing football. McKenna also made one block and two clearances whilst winning an aerial duel against the superhuman Erling Haaland.

Minutes

90

Passes

51/56 (91%)

Clearances

2

Interceptions

1

Recoveries

4

Indeed, the Reds loanee dispossessed Haaland in City's attacking third, before dropping the shoulder and taking the ball past youngster Oscar Bobb before playing the pass that started the build-up for Copenhagen's goal.

With Felipe announcing he would be leaving Forest at the end of the season, the club may be looking for more defensive reinforcements during the summer. The Brazilian has also been struggling with injuries for large parts of the campaign, with the club light in the centre-back area.

The central defender has played in just five league games throughout the whole of 2023/24, an indication that his time in Nottingham has certainly waned. He did appear against both West Ham and Aston Villa last month but sat out again in the late defeat versus Liverpool last weekend.

Sadly, McKenna could be on his way out alongside Felipe with the Scot out of contract in the summer. It's unlikely the Reds will offer him another deal, with the club potentially losing a solid player who's more than capable of featuring for another Premier League side.