Nottingham Forest are closing in on signing former Fulham goalkeeper Steven Benda as Oliver Glasner continues reshaping his squad ahead of the new Premier League season.
The 27-year-old is available for a free transfer following the expiry of his Fulham contract at the end of the 2025/26 campaign. As things stahd, Benda has agreed terms with Nottingham Forest and is expected to undergo a medical on Friday before completing the move.
According to Sky Sports, the German goalkeeper is being recruited primarily to replace Angus Gunn and is expected to operate as Forest’s third-choice option, with Matz Sels remaining established as the club’s number one. If everything proceeds as planned, Benda will become Nottingham Forest’s fourth first-team addition of the summer.
Benda arrives with considerable experience in English football despite never establishing himself as a Premier League regular at Fulham. He initially joined Swansea City in 2017 before gaining his first significant senior experience during a loan spell with Swindon Town. Benda helped Swindon win the League Two title during the 2019/20 campaign before returning to Swansea.
After initially operating as a backup, he later spent time on loan with Peterborough United before becoming Swansea’s first-choice goalkeeper during the 2022/23 season. He made 23 appearances before a knee injury prematurely ended his campaign. Fulham subsequently signed Benda in 2023, although opportunities were limited during his time at Craven Cottage. He spent periods of last season on loan with Millwall and Feyenoord, making 12 combined appearances.
Benda’s impending arrival addresses Forest’s need for additional depth between the posts, but their recruitment work is far from finished. The club are continuing to assess options at centre-forward and could also add a new full-back or wing-back before the transfer window closes.
A central midfielder remains another priority for Glasner as Forest look to strengthen a squad that finished in the bottom half of the Premier League last season. They have recently lost the race to sign Tijjani Reijnders, who will soon join Saudi Pro League club Al-Qadsiah.
Benda may not be the headline signing Forest supporters are waiting for, but this looks like sensible squad management. As a free agent with experience across several levels of English football, the 27-year-old provides relatively low-cost goalkeeping depth without consuming a significant portion of Forest’s transfer budget.
The more consequential business will come elsewhere. With Forest still targeting a midfielder, attacking reinforcement and potentially another wide defensive option, Benda’s arrival should allow the club to concentrate its resources on positions where immediate first-team improvement is required.
