After beating Newcastle and Manchester United in his first three games in charge, Nuno Espirito Santo has been handed a reality check over the last few matches.
Nottingham Forest only edged Blackpool in extra time of the FA Cup replay after playing out consecutive 2-2 draws against their League One opponents.
The Tricky Trees were also handed a 3-2 defeat by Brentford at the weekend, which has forced the boss to look to the transfer market for reinforcement.
The latest on Forest's hunt for Reyna
On Tuesday evening, Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg took to X to announce the surprise news that Forest are actively working on a deal to sign Giovanni Reyna from Borussia Dortmund.
A verbal agreement has been reached between the USMNT star and Forest, as the youngster is desperate to get game time.
Plettenberg shared a further update on Wednesday, detailing that they were in "concrete talks" with the player and "there's a total verbal agreement between Forest and Gio Reyna about a move in the next days".
The player is allegedly keen to join Forest with the Tricky Trees pushing to secure an option to buy the American as well.
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ByCharlie Smith How Reyna would fit into the Forest team
Since switching Saudi Arabia for England, Nuno Santo has opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation, but due to injuries to Morgan Gibbs-White and Anthony Elanga, the boss has been forced to field Ryan Yates and Nicolas Dominguez in unorthodox attacking roles.
However, prior to his injury, Gibbs-White was relishing the opportunity to play under his old Wolves boss once again, as he had netted twice and provided a goal in four matches. Yet he cannot take all of the attacking responsibility on his own, therefore, Reyna could become the perfect partner for the England U21 ace.
The BVB wonderkid has struggled with injuries over the last few years, which has hindered his development. However, the 21-year-old is looking for a new challenge away from Germany after playing just 255 minutes all season, and he could slot into the attack alongside Gibbs-White.
Nonetheless, let's take a look at Reyna's Bundesliga statistics from last season, where he featured 22 times for BVB.
Goals
1.01
Top 1%
Assists
0.29
Top 32%
Shots total
3.46
Top 5%
Passes into penalty area
1.73
Top 12%
Shot-creating actions
4.03
Top 26%
Tackles
2.02
Top 14%
Despite also having limited time on the field last term, his numbers across the board are those of an elite talent. Reyna predominantly plays in an attacking midfield role, but he can comfortably play anywhere in the attack.
With Gibbs-White's being a creative outlet and having the highest expected assists (xA) in the squad, the addition of Reyna would give the number ten a player he can rely upon to score goals in the final third.
The Dortmund star is also "highly creative," according to Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig, as highlighted by his passes into the penalty area, and shot-creating actions, which would elevate the former Sheffield United player's goal-scoring traits.
The American also has the work rate to back up his technical quality, as highlighted by his tackling stats. This means he would fit perfectly into Forest's style of play, which demands a high level of intensity off the ball.
Overall, this is an extremely smart move by Forest. Gibbs-White and Reyna linking up is a frightening thought, and their relationship could transform the Tricky Trees.
