Clark looking to cut costs

The Reds have reined in their spending considerably this season, with the club in no position to add and forced to offload their most saleable assets in order to balance the books.

The tragic passing of owner Nigel Doughty has also served to heighten the feeling of financial uncertainty at the City Ground, with further exits expected.

Clark admits such measures will have to be implemented, with it imperative that a crippling wage bill is lowered in the summer.

"An average player at this level could earn £1million over three years," the Reds chairman told the Nottingham Evening Post.

"That is why we said all along that we need to trade. We still need to do that.

"We have too many strikers, which is why the squad is not balanced. We need to try to address that, for financial reasons and for the boys themselves.

Contracts

"When you have six or seven strikers, you do not need to be a maths genius to work out that not all of them are going to get regular football.

"That needs to be addressed. In terms of wages and long contracts, it is perhaps better for us to get two or three players who are not playing regularly off the wage bill, to look at the ones who are playing regularly."

Forest saw academy product Patrick Bamford lured away by Chelsea during the January transfer window and Clark admits Forest must continue to develop players from within while scratching around for bargains in the lower leagues.

"We have done that in the past. (Chris) Cohen came from Yeovil, (Joel) Lynch from Brighton, (Garath) McCleary came from non-league," he said.

"We are not going to be paying millions of pounds in transfer fees, that is for sure.

"We are going to try to get more young players in the side as well.

"There are two or three others in the youth team who have a chance, who might come through."