Nottingham Forest ace hints at new role as transfer window sparks into life
Latest Nottingham Forest news as Steve Cooper’s Reds beat Levante 2-1 in pre-season friendly
A few days ago, Steve Cooper had talked about this being Nottingham Forest’s “most intense week” of pre-season.
He could hardly have envisaged how his team’s training camp in Spain would end. The Reds’ third friendly didn’t exactly pan out how they might have thought.
Reading too much into pre-season results and performances is always unwise. Nevertheless, here are some things which caught our eye in Saturday’s match.
READ MORE: Forest ratings as Yates and Danilo score in win
READ MORE: Forest receive ‘productive’ pre-season response after Levante win
If Yatesy scores…
No chance of Reds fans being able to jump into the sea after the midfielder found the back of the net, with the game played behind closed doors. But it was a terrific finish by Yates with less than a minute on the clock.
He’s eager to get his first goal in the Premier League, having almost done so on a few occasions last term. And if he takes up a more advanced role, as he did against Levante, you wouldn’t bet against him getting on the scoresheet a few times this time around.
“I just want to really be relentless in trying to improve,” Yates said last weekend. “After the first couple of weeks of the summer I got itchy feet again and just started thinking about football and what I want to get out of the season.
“It’s alright for a couple of weeks, but then you just want to crack on again. I was watching Morgan (Gibbs-White, for England Under-21s) and thinking it would be nice to be out there. I want to add some goals from midfield, especially if I’m going to play a little bit higher, as a No.8, then that will be massive for me.”
Yates looked really bright playing further up the pitch. It is clearly something he and Cooper have discussed with a view to the upcoming campaign, and it will be interesting to see if he takes up that role in the remaining friendlies.
Dangerous Danilo
There is already much excitement about what there is to come from Danilo this term. It has the potential to be a big year for him.
He came on leaps and bounds in a short space of time after he made the move to the City Ground in January. And at the age of 22, there is still so much room for growth. He can get even better.
He was lively against Levante and made some threatening runs early on, before eventually coming away with something to show for them. It was a nice bit of play between the Brazilian and Yates. He was a little fortunate with the way the ball ricocheted into his path, but he finished well with his right foot.
With Morgan Gibbs-White on an extended break after his exploits with England Under-21s and Brennan Johnson sidelined, Forest didn’t have too much flair and creativity in the starting line-up. But in Danilo they have a player who is always keen to get forward. It might only be a friendly, but getting on the scoresheet will still be a nice confidence-booster as he aims to get plenty more goals when the serious action starts.
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Signings incoming
No new faces in the squad for Saturday’s game. However, the Reds’ transfer window is beginning to spark into life. Next time they take to the pitch, we could see new additions in action.
Given injury and availability limited Cooper’s options against Levante, it emphasised the need for reinforcements. Strength in depth is key in the Premier League.
Anthony Elanga will bolster Forest’s attacking threat as he makes the move from Manchester United. At 21, he is a player with potential who should develop under Cooper and who can also contribute defensively.
On the face of it, bringing in a right-back in Ola Aina might have raised eyebrows. The Reds have Serge Aurier and Neco Williams for that spot, after all. However, Aina’s versatility should come in useful. He can also play on the left and as a wing-back.
Forest still have other areas they need to strengthen, though. Not least between the posts.
With three weeks to go before their opening fixture against Arsenal, getting that sorted is particularly pressing. George Shelvey has done well in the three friendlies – and as he seeks a loan move, he has certainly put himself in the shop window. The sooner goalkeeping reinforcements arrive, the better, however.
Awoniyi’s red
It was not clear why the striker was shown a red card just before half-time. But Awoniyi and his teammates were quick to make their point to the referee. Cooper talked to the officials at half-time, too.
It is rare to see a sending off in a friendly. And it definitely had an impact on the game, particularly given the high temperatures.
Forest hadn’t seen too much of the ball in the first half, but they had threatened when they did break forward with pace. Trying to get any kind of possession or rhythm in the second half was near-impossible with their numerical disadvantage – plus the fact it all got a bit scrappy and tetchy.
Still, if Cooper was keen to work on the defence and midfield again – bearing in mind the difficult away fixtures at the start of the season – he could take some positives from the way Levante were largely kept at bay. The hosts had plenty of possession but were kept at arm’s length for the most part.
