Harry Watkinson
Analysing Nottingham Forest’s five biggest signings this summer.
Nottingham Forest have spent big this summer after returning to the English topflight for the first time since 2004, but will these new players be enough to keep them in the Premier League?
We have broken down the stats of their top five most valuable signings from last season, so we can predict their immediate impact on the team.
Manager Steve Cooper undoubtedly has his work cut out this season, but could these new faces be the answer?
Taiwo Awoniyi
Forest’s most valuable new player this summer is also their record signing after they paid £18.45 million for Nigerian centre-forward Taiwo Awoniyi, who had a fantastic 2021-22 campaign with Union Berlin. His performances in the Bundesliga caught the eye of many big clubs across Europe, so it was a bit of a coup when Forest secured his signature.
24-year-old Awoniyi is a confident, quick, strong and clinical striker who was in incredible form last season. The Nigerian is known for making effective runs in-behind opposition defenders and if his teammates can pick him out, he generally slots his chances. He averaged 2.2 shots on target per game for Union last season, making him a constant attacking threat.
Awoniyi also uses his 6ft frame well, winning 1.7 aerial duels per game. His strength in the air and imposing physicality also makes him an outlet for his teammates. He has the ability to secure possession from a long ball and is good at holding the ball up too. This could be a real asset to Forest this season, as they will likely have to approach games quite defensively and attack on the counter.
The Nigerian scored 17 goals in 43 appearances for Union Berlin in 2021-22, which is more Bundesliga goals in a single campaign than any other player in the German club’s history. He also contributed five assists too. If Awoniyi can get numbers like that for Forest this season, averaging 0.51 goal contributions per game, that could truly be the difference between relegation and survival for them.
The only concern is that before the 2021-22 campaign, Awoniyi hadn’t scored more than seven goals in a season… so Forest fans will be hoping he is not a ‘one-season wonder.’ However, he is only 24, so he has the potential to get even better for the Reds.
Played: 43
Key passes per game: 0.9
Aerial duels won per game: 1.7
Shots per game: 2.2
Assists: 5
Goals: 20
Jesse Lingard
Forest ripped up their wage structure this summer by offering Jesse Lingard a £200k per week, one-year contract, so the 29-year-old has a lot of pressure on him to deliver this season.
In the last campaign, he struggled to find a regular spot in Manchester United’s squad. Under three different managers in 2021-22: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Michael Carrick (interim) and Ralf Rangnick; Lingard played 22 matches for United. Although 17 of these appearances came off the bench, so he only played 548 minutes in total.
Lingard still showed signs of what he can do. He was consistent with his passing and very rarely gave the ball away for United, with a pass success rate of 88.3%. He was also quite effective going forward, averaging 0.5 key passes and 0.5 shots on target per game. In total, he scored two goals and made one assist throughout the season.
His only real memorable moment though was a terrible back pass against Young Boys in the Champions League group stages, which ultimately lost United the game.
But we know that when Lingard is backed by a manager and gets consistent playing time, he seems to perform better. During his loan spell with West Ham in the second half of the 2020-21 season, the English midfielder played 16 matches, all of which he started and he had some of the best form in his career to date.
Lingard scored five goals and made nine assists in 16 games for the Hammers, making 0.88 goal contributions per match for David Moyes’ side, which very nearly earned them Champions League qualification. This shows that when playing regularly, Lingard can still be very effective going forward. Steve Cooper will be hoping he can get back to similar form this season.
Played: 22
Pass success: 88.3%
Key passes per game: 0.5
Shots per game: 0.5
Assists: 1
Goals: 2
Dean Henderson (loan)
English Goalkeeper Dean Henderson was behind David de Gea in the pecking order at Manchester United last season and as a result, played only five matches. He kept no clean sheets in these games, but in fairness was not really given a chance to showcase his talents.
Similar to Lingard, he is another who has shone when given consistent minutes while out on loan and he will be hoping to be the first name on the team sheet for Forest this season after he secured a season-long loan move in July.
When he went out on loan most recently to Sheffield United in 2019-20, he put in some admirable performances. He kept 14 clean sheets in 40 matches in all competitions, helping the Blades to their best Premier League campaign in their history, finishing in ninth place. They conceded just 39 goals in 2019-20. If you compare this to the following campaign, where without Henderson Sheffield United conceded 63 goals… it’s clear to see the difference he can make to a team.
If Henderson can manage to keep 13 clean sheets for Forest this season, this could give a huge boost to their survival chances. He will also be desperate to play well so he can secure a spot in the England squad for this year’s World Cup in Qatar.
Played: 5
Pass Success: 58.9%
Clearances per game: 2
Saves per game: 2.5
Penalty saves: 0
Clean Sheets: 0
Moussa Niakhate
Forest signed 26-year-old French centre-back Moussa Niakhate for £9 million in July, which was £7 million less than his valuation of £16 million (according to Transfermarkt). The Frenchman has the reputation of a solid, strong defender, standing at 6ft 2 inches tall and is known to be a leadership figure in the changing room, too.
Last season, playing for Mainz in the Bundesliga, he helped the German club to an eighth-place finish: their best in six years. Niakhate was one of the first names on the team sheet, making 33 appearances across all competitions. He has strong defensive attributes in every aspect: making 1.3 successful tackles, 1.7 interceptions and 2.2 clearances per game. He also won an average of 1.9 aerial duels per match and his strength and height give him the perfect physicality for the Premier League.
Niakhate is also decent on the ball, too, with a pass success rate of 78.7%, as well as being a goal threat, scoring four times for Mainz last season. Two of these were penalties, so he would have the confidence to step up and take one should Forest need him to this season.
In all competitions, the French defender helped Mainz to nine clean sheets last season. Forest look to have signed a solid centre-back in Niakhate, so it will be interesting to see how he performs in this campaign.
Played: 33
Tackles per game: 1.3
Interceptions per game: 1.7
Clearances per game: 2.2
Pass success: 78.7
Aerials won per game: 1.9
Goals: 4
Clean Sheets: 9
Orel Mangala
Finally, Nottingham Forest have also signed an exciting player in Orel Mangala, for £11.7 million from Stuttgart as they look to bolster their midfield.
The 24-year-old Belgian plays mainly as a number eight, but can also play in both a defensive and attacking midfield role, too. His versatility, young age and potential to improve was undoubtedly a big factor in Steve Cooper’s decision to bring Mangala to the City ground.
Last season, while on loan at Hamburg, he played 30 matches in the Bundesliga. He performed well on the ball with an 83.6% pass success rate and isn’t afraid of playing through passes and long balls to his attackers to create chances, making an average of 1 key pass per game. In total, he managed to make four assists for Mainz last season, but by all accounts, was unlucky not to get more.
Mangala is strong and powerful, with the confidence to run with the ball, completing 1.5 successful dribbles per game. His attacking play and stamina in a box-to-box role earned him a call-up to the Belgium squad in March 2021, so there is no doubting his quality.
Once he gets used to the pace of the Premier League, Mangala could be a real asset to Forest this season.
Played: 29
Pass Success: 83.6%
Key passes per game: 1
Dribbles per game: 1.5
Shots per game: 0.6
Assists: 4
Goals: 1
