Newly promoted Nottingham Forest face fight to retain loan stars

Nottingham Forest will look to retain highly touted loan players James Garner and Djed Spence after securing promotion.

Nottingham Forest secured the third and final promotion spot on Sunday after beating Huddersfield Town in the Championship Play-Off Final.

Winning 1-0 in the 90 minutes thanks to an own-goal by Chelsea loanee Levi Colwill, Forest sealed their return to the Premier League for the first time since 1999.

As is customary following the introduction of VAR – which was in fact brought in to relieve controversy – the tie was tarnished by ambiguous refereeing decisions.

Losers on the day, Huddersfield, will feel short-changed in their efforts after being denied two penalty decisions in which the contact appeared worthy of a spot-kick with the ball not played on either occasion by the defender.

Notwithstanding their opponent’s grievances, a party commenced on the streets of Nottingham with many young supporters not able to remember a time when their side last set foot in the English top-flight.

The achievement becomes even more remarkable when considering the East-Midlands side’s start to the campaign; manager Steve Cooper arriving with the club sitting bottom of the table taking just four points from their first eight games.

His squad has a sense of camaraderie which can be attributed to the fact the dressing room has grown together, taking confidence from a giant-killing FA Cup run.

Academy products Brennan Johnson, Joe Worrall and Ryan Yates have been some of the stars of the show alongside loanees Djed Spence and James Garner.

Can Nottingham Forest and Steve Cooper keep the band together?

The Nottingham Forest faithful can sleep easy knowing that their permanent players will stick around barring a ludicrous offer which they’re unable to turn down.

Retaining loan players, however, could prove a difficult task with both the aforesaid Spence and Garner attracting a significant amount of attention upon returning to their parent clubs.

Full-back/Wing-back Djed Spence has been on loan from Championship side Middlesborough after losing his place under former manager Neil Warnock.

His impact at the City Ground has been unprecedented, with his barnstorming runs down the right-flank earning plaudits from fans and onlookers alike.

Such has been the success of his loan, that a host of Europe’s elite have taken note, with the likes of Bayern Munich, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal all tracking Spence’s progress.

Fresh reports state his temporary employers have thrown their name into the hat as higher-ups at Forest ready a bid for the 21-year-old.

In relation to Manchester United loanee James Garner, a permanent deal may be out of the question due to his boyhood club’s desire to keep him on the books at Old Trafford.

In a double-pivot alongside Yates, Garner has acted as a metronome in the heart of Steve Cooper’s midfield while also proving to be a weapon in dead-ball situations.

Speaking in the play-off final matchday programme, the also 21-year-old referred to his desire to prove his worth to new United boss Erik ten Hag.

"“The whole idea is to show what you can do, get better and put yourself in the best position to go back to your parent club. I don’t know what that will consist of at the moment, but I feel I’ve given myself the best possible chance to go in and do my best.”Via: Manchester Evening News"

With the Dutch manager set to assess his squad in preseason before making significant decisions, Forest’s local rivals Leicester City have been listed as a club interested in acquiring Garner’s services next season.

The experience of getting a team promoted and the deserved adulation both players have received surely counts for something and therefore leaves the door ajar to a potential reunion next season.