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It’s a song that has been san before. From outside looking in, it looks like they’re doing a Stoke. Football fans, when I say that they’re doing a Stoke, I am referring to Nottingham Forest.

The Reds’ activity in the transfer market is well documented and Forest have looked to further strengthen in this transfer market too. A couple of Brazilians have been signed, but it’s the rumoured signing of one player in particular that has caught the attention at our sports desk.

There was a period under Stoke City, where the Staffordshire club seemed like the go-to spot for football stars, that were of a big name, but just maybe lost their way a little bit in their career.

To put it into context, think Bolton under Sam Allardyce all those years back, when the Lancashire club signed Spanish legends Ivan Campo and Fernando Hierro, as well as Youri Djorkaeff and Jay-Jay Okocha.

Stoke, adopted a similar model. They signed players such as Ibrahim Afellay, Bojan Kirkic and Jesse Rodriguez on loan, the less we talk about the latter play the better.

Nottingham Forest appeared to have followed the lead of Stoke and Bolton, as they signed Jesse Lingard and Renan Lodi amongst other high-profile names. If reports are to be believed, however, one player who could swap Paris for the East Midlands is Keylor Navas.

You read that right, Navas of Real Madrid fame, a multiple-time Champions League winner. The story, has some legs, due to the fact that since AC Milan keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma was signed by the club, Kaylor Navas has seen his game time reduce.

It’s a raw deal for the Costa Rican, who over the past decade has rightfully been included in the conversation for one of the best goalkeepers of this generation.

Navas hasn’t done a lot wrong at his past two clubs. Firstly at Real Madrid, he was replaced by Thiabut Courtois and most recently at PSG, he has been dislodged by Donnarumma at Paris Saint Germain.

I mean this with the greatest respect, but to move to Nottingham Forest? The 36-year-old Navas could easily walk into a Champions League club’s team, like maybe a Chelsea?

To be fair to Nottingham Forest, they have won the same amount of European cups as Chelsea. I know what you guys were thinking when I said Forest are doing a Stoke.

Under Tony Pulis, the football that The Potters would play was route one long balls, under Steve Cooper Nottingham Forest play good football. Coming to think of it, Stoke did play some attractive football under former manager Mark Hughes who managed those stars we mentioned.

Maybe they are doing a Stoke after all. If Nottingham Forest can stay in the Premier League for as many seasons as Stoke City did, I don’t think the East Midlands club will have any issues with such a comparison.

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