Nottingham Forest target 17th summer signing with Moussa Niakhate ruled out for months

The Reds could now pursue another centre-back as cover with Steve Cooper open to more business before the deadline

Moussa Niakhate in action against West Ham (Getty Images)

Nottingham Forest will be without centre-back Moussa Niakhate for several months as manager Steve Cooper said he might need a 17th summer signing to replace the defender.

Niakhate sustained a hamstring injury during Forest’s 1-0 win over West Ham and scans have revealed it was worse than initially thought.

The £10 million defender, who joined from Metz, started the season in the Forest team and Cooper said: “He is out for a few months. We had to do another scan later in the week and it didn’t come back too good. It is a blow for him and a blow for us.”

Forest made Morgan Gibbs-White their 16th summer signing and Cooper believes the loss of Niakhate could force him back in the transfer market. “Maybe, we will see,” he said. “We are not done with ins and outs.”

Gibbs-White attracted interest from Everton during a summer saga but Cooper said he always thought he would get the Wolves midfielder, who could cost up to £42.5 million.

He added: “I have always been confident he would come, I never took it for granted but I was always confident. Now he is here and we try and give him a new home and he can grow and be the player we brought him here to be.”

Gibbs-White made his debut in a 1-1 draw at Everton and Cooper rued Demarai Gray’s late equaliser, which cost Forest a first Premier League away win since 1999.

“It is a disappointed dressing room,” he said. “We feel like we should have won and [it is] a missed opportunity but at the same time it is a first away point.”