Nottingham Forest could see a bid accepted to sign the £21m star

The incredible future that saw Nottingham Forest welcome Oliver Glasner into the fold following several seasons of bitter rivalry with the former Crystal Palace boss feels very busy.

This is the beginning of a new era, and one that holds great promise. Glasner has bagged silverware in both of the last two seasons, winning the FA Cup and the Conference League. Tricky Trees will hope he can repeat this trick.

Although the sale of Elliot Anderson to Manchester City was disappointing, the Three Lions midfielder was always in the hunt for the biggest fish in the Premier League, with Forest cashing in a staggering £116m cheque.

The Tricky Trees are yet to sign players – although they are still looking for defender Ousmane Diomande from Sporting CP – but Glasner and Evangelos Marinakis and co are working hard, with Lucas Bergvall being sought to replace Anderson.

Why Forest want Bergvall to replace Anderson

Bergvall is only 20 years old, but he has played 78 games for Tottenham, suffering from many battles in north London, but also enjoying high scores.

They have already made a £45m bid for the Sweden international, which was rejected, after an initial £38m approach fell through. Spurs don’t want to sell, but Bergvall wants a change of scenery, so this is something to keep an eye on.

Bergvall is no Anderson, but he is a silky and stylish midfielder with a natural desire to get forward. He is neat and smart on the ball, and could still be a top-class midfielder in the Premier League.

However, there is no doubt that these are two talents operating at very different levels. Throwing him at the end of the City Ground would be a risky proposition, and there is no mistake, but the potential is there.

After all, Anderson was raw and unpolished when he moved to Nottingham two years ago, having been dumped by Newcastle United.

Glasner is an impatient negotiator, and he’ll want this one wrapped up — or not. However, Bergvall is not the only exciting talent on the Austrian’s roster as the new campaign approaches.

How could Forest sign a bigger talent than Bergvall

Glasner was clear in telling his players that composition is not the be-all and end-all in his tactical world. He is looking for players who will take the project forward, bring Forest back to the heights they reached with Nuno, and step on European turf.

You have found someone more suitable for the job. According to Germany’s BILD, Ernest Poku is emerging as a genius for Tricky Trees, with Bayer Leverkusen open to selling the winger for €25m (£21m) this summer.

Poku, 25, is also attracting interest from Sunderland, while Leverkusen are open to talks in the coming weeks.

Poku is an out-and-out winger, while Bergvall often occupies spaces in midfield and carries the ball forward, heading for danger, but that doesn’t mean the Ghanaian isn’t consistent. He can play across the front line and move back in the back positions.

He is a capable and combative full-back, so he could play in the vision that Glasner is putting in place, perhaps sitting wide alongside a three-man back line, as it was built and cemented at Selhurst Park.

But with 33 goals in 66 games as a focal point, Poku may find himself filling in at number nine from time to time. In the Bundesliga last season, he scored five goals and provided five assists, playing 29 games and starting only 16 of them.

Poku is ready for the Premier League, ready for the role that Glasner is willing to give him. Glasner is single in his formation; he will change, and signing Poku will give him the freedom to do so.

This could be a defender who makes quick changes to a Forest side that saw standards drop last season, with turmoil threatening to consume the outfit. Bergvall may not have the quality – yet – to take on the talismanic role, while Poku adds great spirit and attacking initiative.

It has been a slow start to the summer transfer window for a changing Forest squad. But this is a marathon, not a sprint, and there’s no doubt that Glasner shows a level of ambition.

With money in the bank following the sale of Anderson, there is room for Forest to target both Poku and Bergvall – and more.