Forest Green Rovers manager Robbie Savage has firmly reiterated that club captain Laurent Mendy is not for sale, dismissing recent rumors of interest from Scottish club Hearts.
Hearts had a bid rejected in January for the 29-year-old French midfielder, who joined Forest Green from Macclesfield following Savage. Although speculation has resurfaced about the Jambos’ intentions to re-sign Mendy, Savage confirmed to the BBC that no official bids have been made.
“There has been no bid. The January offer was well below our valuation,” Savage said. “We acknowledge contact from Hearts, but no formal offers from them or any other club. Our position is clear – Laurent isn’t for sale.”
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Mendy has yet to feature in Forest Green’s early pre-season friendlies. Savage emphasized that clubs aiming for the playoffs or promotion rarely sell their top players mid-season, reflecting the club’s ambitions to build a competitive squad for advancement.
“Our owner Dale Vince has invested heavily, and we want to retain our best players to push for promotion and EFL status,” Savage stated. “We need our strongest lineup here. No bids have come, and if they do, they will be turned down.”
He added, “Players like Kyle McAllister, Mendy, James Berry, and D’Mani Mellor are crucial assets. Selling our best talent because they wish to play at a higher level is not part of our plan. Our goal is promotion, and we are committed to keeping our core players.”
Savage also addressed misconceptions about the squad size, clarifying the team only plans to carry 23 players this season in the National League. Recent signings include full-back Sydney Agina on loan from Stoke City, alongside hopefuls such as Kyle Ajayi, Brian Ifeanyi, Oli Ewing, James Berry, and Emeka Obi.
“It surprises me that people think we have hundreds of players,” said Savage. “Our squad number list shows 23 players, and that’s all we intend to carry unless significant injuries occur or players leave.”
On the goalkeeping situation, Savage revealed they are considering signing a third goalkeeper following squad number allocations that left a gap for the number one jersey. With goalkeepers Luke McNicholas and Fiachra Pagel assigned numbers 12 and 13, respectively, and the departure of Harry Isted, the club may bring in a competitor to challenge for the starting spot.
“Possibly, yes,” Savage commented. “Pags might go out on loan to gain regular football, and we’re looking for a number one. Whether it’s a loan or free transfer, our goalkeeping coach Jonathan Gould is exploring options. If we don’t add one, Luke and Pags will compete for the spot.”
The 2026/27 Forest Green Rovers squad numbers underscore the club’s focus on a streamlined squad focused on promotion:
Tre Pemberton 2, Neil Kengni 3, Jayden Clarke 4, Kyle Ajayi 5, Laurent Mendy 6 (captain), Kyle McAllister 7, Nick Haughton 8, D’Mani Mellor 9, Ricardo Rees 10, James Berry 11, Luke McNicholas 12, Fiachra Pagel 13, Tate Campbell 14, Gabe Kircough 15, Josh Osude 16, Oliver Ewing 17, Bryan Ifeanyi 18, Jose Marquez 19, Sean Etaluku 20, Kairo Mitchell 21, Max Robson 22, Emeka Obi 23, Sydney Agina 24.