Nottingham Forest are likely to be busy in the transfer market in the summer with a host of changes expected – and it would seem as though links to certain players are starting to surface.
Despite the loss of Brennan Johnson in the summer transfer window of 2023, Forest did manage to bolster their squad to the tune of 13 new players. Steve Cooper couldn’t get things to click, however, and has been replaced by Nuno Espirito Santo.
The Portuguese boss is trying to win fans over at the moment. Ultimately, if he avoid relegation, supporters will be dancing on the streets of Nottingham.
Anthony Elanga, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Nicolas Dominguez and Ola Aina have all been quality signings made by the Reds. The challenge next summer will be recruiting a similar bunch of signings ahead of the new campaign.
- READ MORE: Nottingham Forest first-team squad 2023/24
Nottingham Forest want Raphael Onyedika
Forest have perhaps lacked a little bit of depth at certain periods of the current campaign. Now, Club Brugge star Onyedika appears to be on the City Ground radar.
This comes from the Turkish outlet Cumhuriyet. They claim that a host of Premier League clubs are monitoring the player ahead of the summer. Everton and Crystal Palace are two other clubs linked with the central midfielder.
Onyedika has been a standout performer in the Belgian top flight this season. He’s featured in the same starting eleven as Philip Zinckernagel on a number of occasions.
The 22-year-old has made 39 appearances for the Belgian top-flight outfit, scoring three goals, claiming two assists and picking up nine yellow cards.
Onyedika was with FC Midtjylland prior to moving to Belgium. During his time there he made 57 appearances before making the move to Club Brugge.
It’s not certain at this stage whether or not, Onyedika will be available for transfer. He is under contract in Belgium until 2027 and that could mean he won’t come cheap.
Who is Raphael Onyedika?
Well, the defence-minded midfielder has a number of strong attributes. Who Scored lists his strengths as passing and tackling, with no weaknesses worthy of a mention.
Furthermore, they detail his style of play as being someone who likes to shoot from distance and he’s a midfielder who likes to play short passes. It further adds that he does commit fouls quite often.
In terms of the current Forest squad, Onyedika might be a useful player. Who Scored also claims that the player has made 880 accurate short passes this season which is more than Ryan Yates who has made just 528.
Onyedika is also an international player. He’s made a single appearance for the Nigeria national team and might fancy linking up with Taiwo Awoniyi and Ola Aina at Forest.
Does Onyedika link suggest Forest willing to wash hands of record signing?
Well, this would be the million-dollar question if this signing came to fruition.Ibrahim Sangare hasn’t played that much this season and more recently, he’s been booed by his own supporters at the City Ground.
That doesn’t seem fair and he’s not the first player in Premier League history to struggle to get up to speed in the Premier League.
Signing Onyedika wouldn’t make a deal of sense right now. Forest have Sangare who plays in a very similar role, whilst Yates, Nicolas Dominguez and Danilo are also at the club contracted for next season.
It would be a bit of a risk for Forest to wash their hands of Sangare. He is only 26-years-old and you don’t have PSG and Bayern Munich chasing you if you can’t play.
Perhaps Forest have identified Onyedika as a more rounded option as an alternative to Sangare. If the Reds could get their money back for him in the summer and replace him with the Nigerian, perhaps that could prove the right business to do.
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