Nottinghampost - Aitor Karanka says Nottingham Forest will remain patient in their efforts to land Karim Ansarifard – and insists he has faith in his current squad to deliver both the performances and goals they need.
The Reds boss has previously confirmed his interest in the Iranian international, who is a free agent after having his contract cancelled by Olympiacos.
But he remains calm over the situation, despite seeing Daryl Murphy and Hillal Soudani both currently sidelined by minor injury problems.
“I do not know, from Thursday I have been really busy preparing for this game,” said Karanka, when asked if a deal was close to being confirmed for the 28-year-old.
“I do not know everything that the club is working on behind the scenes. We have to wait on that one.”
Aitor Karanka says Nottingham Forest will remain patient in their efforts to land Karim Ansarifard – and insists he has faith in his current squad to deliver both the performances and goals they need.
The Reds boss has previously confirmed his interest in the Iranian international, who is a free agent after having his contract cancelled by Olympiacos.
Lewis Grabban was Forest’s only fit striker as they produced an encouraging display in their 0-0 draw in Swansea.
Murphy (calf) could return to the squad for the Sheffield Wednesday game on Wednesday night, while Soudani is expected to be out for another week or so, with a knee problem.
When asked if their injuries made it more urgent to bring another striker in, Karanka said that his priority was to encourage another performance of the same quality from his side when they face the Owls.
“My urgency is for us to play the way we did at Swansea. That is my priority,” he said.
“I trust my players, I trust the work we are doing and I know that there will come a point when we will play this way in every game we play.
“That is my priority; that is my urgency.
“I have said always that I have the squad that I wanted to have and, if somebody else does arrive and it is a good opportunity for us, I would be really pleased.”
And Karanka believes his other two forward options will also soon be back in action
“Daryl had a problem yesterday in his calf and he was not ready for today. But I hope he will be ready for Wednesday. If he is not ready for Wednesday, I hope he will be ready for Saturday,” he said.
“Hillal Soudani, I hope he will be back as soon as possible, but it does not seem as though he will be back for the games coming up this week.
“I hope he will be back for the week after that.”