Will Nottingham Forest continue to be busy in the transfer market, ahead of their Premier League opener against Brentford on Sunday?
So far, the Garibaldi Reds have signed goalkeeper Angus Gunn, Brazilian duo Igor Jesus and Jair Cunha, both from Botafogo, and, most recently and most excitingly, winger Dan Ndoye from Bologna, costing a reported fee of £34m.
Having finished seventh last season, Nuno Espírito Santo’s side are preparing for a European campaign, the first time Forest have competed on the continent in 30 years, meaning squad depth will be key, so are they set to bolster their midfield options further?
Nottingham Forest targeting midfield reinforcements
Despite making four new additions, the best piece of business Nottingham Forest have done this summer, without question, is keeping hold of Morgan Gibbs-White.
The 25 year old appeared destined to depart when Tottenham triggered his £60m release clause, but Spurs were ultimately left ‘stunned’ when the midfielder signed a new three-year contract instead, news that came completely out of the blue.
This is a serious statement of intent from Forest, able to keep hold of their best player, so will they now bolster their midfield options to help get the best out of Gibbs-White?
Well, amid talk that they are on the verge of signing James McAtee from Manchester City, another top midfielder could be on their way to Nottingham.
According to a report by TEAMtalk, Nottingham Forest are ‘plotting’ a move to sign Yunus Musah from AC Milan, adding that they’re ‘considering making a bid’ for the United States international, valued at around £22m.
The Rossoneri have reappointed Massimiliano Allegri as head coach this summer, following a catastrophic campaign that saw them finish eighth in Serie A, failing to qualify for any European competition.
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During Il Diavolo’s pre-season tour of Asia last month, newly-hired sporting director Igli Tare stated that “I consider Musah an excellent player, but we are looking for profiles with characteristics that fit the [Allegri] project”, which very much sounds like they’re open to a sale.
So, could the 22-year-old soon swap San Siro for the City Ground?
What Nottingham Forest fans should expect from Yunus Musah
Born in New York City, Musah’s family moved to London when he was just nine years old, subsequently spending seven years in Arsenal’s Hale End academy, before moving to Valencia at the age of 16.
After starting out in los Murciélagos’ B team, he made his senior debut a year after arriving, accumulating 108 appearances for los Che.
His performances caught AC Milan’s attention, joining the Italian giants for a reported fee of £17m two summers ago, featuring 80 times across two seasons for the Rossoneri, albeit he only started 19 Serie A matches last time round.
Musah has also won 47 caps for the United States, although his importance has diminished since the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino last year, with Taylor Rockwell of Total Soccer Show noting that he needs to be starting games regularly at club level as a central midfielder if he harbours realistic hopes of being an important figure at the World Cup.
Well, still only 22 years old, Musah certainly could do so at a high level, with Greg O’Keeffe of the Athletic labelling him an “exciting midfield talent”.
Robbie Dunne of Opta’s the Analyst agrees, asserting that he is ‘immensely talented’ and capable of carrying out any instructions, given that he is able to ‘cover lots of ground quickly’, hence why coaches often shunt him out-wide, even though he is best utilised centrally, with ball-carrying his ‘greatest strength’.
Meantime, Mario Husillos Jr. of Total Football Analysis notes that his ‘influence can be seen all across the pitch when deployed in a central role, thereby given license to ‘get close to the defenders to help in the buildup’.
This certainly sounds as though Musah would be the hard-working, hard-running type of defensive midfielder who would be able to get the best out of Gibbs-White, so let’s compare their respective statistics last season.
Appearances
38
40
Minutes
3,142
2,237
Goals
7
Zero
Assists
10
3
All statistics below are on a per-90 basis:
Shots
1.6
1
Chances created
1.6
1.4
Big chances created
0.32
0.17
Shot-creating actions
3.69
2.50
Goal-creating actions
0.61
0.18
Pass completion %
81%
89%
Tackles
1.4
1.6
Ball recoveries
4.1
3.5
Touches
55.5
53.9
The table first and foremost emphasises Musah’s lack of importance at AC Milan, given that he actually made two more appearances than Gibbs-White across all competitions last season, but accumulated almost 1000 fewer minutes.
On top of this, the table outlines why the duo could form an excellent partnership in midfield.
The England international is the creator in chief, hence why his numbers when it comes to goals, assists, shots and chances created are all exponentially higher.
The American, on the other hand, is more secure in possession, completing a higher percentage of his passes, while posting better defensive numbers, most notably in terms of tackles.
At the base of Nottingham Forest’s midfield, there is a spot up for grabs alongside Elliot Anderson, so Musah could be the man for that position, allowing Gibbs-White, deployed as a number ten, to flourish for Nuno’s team.
