In this series, we will analyse teams, identify problem areas, and suggest solutions in the form
of incoming players. We won’t follow gossip, rumours or conjecture. We’re concerned only
with a player’s on-field performance and their suitability for the role in question.
Today’s team is Nottingham Forest. Welcome to Sensible Transfers.
Nottingham Forest have already made some important in-roads in the transfer market this summer.
Firstly, they have addressed the goalkeeper position, bringing in Dean Henderson on loan
and signing Ryan Hammond on a free as a back-up.
They have also signed a couple of players
who will slot into their back three in Moussa Niakhate and Giulian Biancone.
Niakhate is left footed and is used to playing on the left hand side of a back three.
A more proactive defender, Niakhate’s inclusion in the starting eleven will
likely see Scott McKenna shift to the middle of the three. At 1.90m tall, Niakhate offers a set
piece threat and it’s also worth noting he took penalties for Mainz, the club he signed from.
Giulian Biancone is expected to play on the right side of the back three
but he’s a flexible player who has played right centre back, right back,
and wing back on both sides for his most recent club, Troyes.
Biancone gives Steve Cooper a more defensive option on the right and Neco Williams has also
been signed to replace the departed Djed Spence, who returned to Middlesbrough after the end of
his loan and has subsequently been sol. Forest have moved quickly to bolster their defence.
But another issue that needs addressing is the departure
of loanee James Garner back to Manchester United.
Garner is a deep-lying midfielder with the ability to make progressive passes.
Last season, he played alongside Ryan Yates, who was more of a physical ball winner.
Crucially, Garner produced 7 assists from set piece scenarios.
Forest will need to replace him with a similar profile but bringing in someone
who would be able to step into the starting eleven immediately.
Our pick is Brentford’s Josh Dasilva.
The 23-year-old has been a really good player for Brentford for a number of years,
but he was out with a hip injury for almost the whole of last season.
As a result, Brentford built their Premier League squad without him,
meaning that – now - a loan with the option to buy could be a good way for him to return from injury.
A more physical and athletic player than James Garner, Dasilva is the taller of the two
at 184cm. However, despite this height difference, the two players share a similar skill set.
Dasilva is a good ball carrier and passer, and although he doesn’t offer
as much defensively as Garner, he will give Forest more progression through carrying
and will arrive in the final third much more than Garner too.
If he can find full fitness, this could be a really good opportunity for both him and Forest.
The final position that Forest have strengthened so far this summer is up front:
Taiwo Awoniyi being brought in from Union Berlin for a club-record fee in the region of £17.5m.
Awoniyi is a striker who plays the role as more of a target player.
The question is: who will play alongside him in the forward line.
Last season, Forest played with a front two but
the step up to the Premier League could see them shift to a three.
With that in mind, it could be useful to find a mobile support player who could play alongside
Awoniyi in a strike partnership or as one of a three alongside Awoniyi and Brennan Johnson.
Forest would be looking for someone comfortable playing on the left or out of the left half space
because when Johnson plays in a front three, he usually features on the right. Beyond that,
they will be looking to improve the talent level of their squad to suit the Premier League
With Burnley being relegated last season,
Maxwel Cornet becomes an attractive prospect for a lot of teams. A quick,
powerful transition attacker, Cornet has excelled so far in his short time at the Lancashire club.
For Burnley, Cornet has played as left midfielder or in a strike partnership,
but the season before he featured as a left back in a four for Lyon. Again,
this flexibility would be attractive to Forest.
Cornet is also dangerous from free kicks and could
help replace another aspect of James Garner’s contribution.
Our pick, though, is Rangers’ Ryan Kent.
Kent is a powerful but technical player. He loves to take on defenders, using his speed
and technical proficiency to ease past opponents. Because of this, he really thrives in transitional
moments, of the sort which Forest will be looking to produce in the Premier League next season.
This transitional prowess might explain why Kent proved to be so influential
in Ranger’s Europa League campaign last season,
being an important factor in eliminating teams like Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig.
Interestingly, Kent came through Liverpool’s youth system at the time when Steve Cooper was
head of the academy, so the Forest manager will already know how best to use Kent in his set-up.
This connection might also persuade the player to make the move to a side
who would be looking to avoid relegation. Kent would also be very gettable for Forest,
given that his contract only runs until 2023.