Anel Ahmedhodzic was at Nottingham Forest between 2016-2019 after he joined the club’s academy from his boyhood side Malmo.
The ‘talented‘ Bosnian was seen as a future prospect, featuring heavily for the U21s before making his first-team debut for the Reds against Newcastle United in December 2016.
That would be his only senior appearance for Forest before he re-joined Malmo in 2019 on a free transfer.
He enjoyed a successful stint back at his boyhood club making 55 appearances over a three-year spell, including in the Champions League against sides such as Juventus.
However, he left Sweden to return to England to join Championship side Sheffield United last summer.
Would Anel Ahmedhodzic be a good signing?
The 24-year-old central defender made 34 appearances for the Blades in all competitions last season, scoring six times.
Although he is a centre-back, he offers a lot from set pieces as reflected in his tally of six goals last season.
Defensively, he is very aggressive and he averages 2.3 tackles per 90 and 2 interceptions per game. He loves to come out from the back to pinch the ball off of the opposition, demonstrating his tenacity and desire to win the ball back for his side.
In possession, Ahmedhodzic likes to drive out with the ball to create a quick turnover, as he averages 2.2 progressive carries per 90 – within the top 1% of all defenders in Europe.
The Bosnian defender has a market value of €20 million (£17 million) and would be an astute piece of business if Forest pulled it off.
The City Ground is a familiar place to Ahmedhodzic and with the Blades selling key players such as Iliman Ndiaye and Sander Berge this window, a bid to test the United resolve should be submitted.
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Nottingham Forest are in the market for reinforcements and have entered the race for a highly-rated defender who plies his trade on the continent.
So, where do Nottingham Forest fit in?
As per The Daily Express, Nottingham Forest entered the race to sign Sutalo last week after their top defensive target, Roma’s Roger Ibanez, received an offer from Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli and has since gone on to try his luck in the Middle East, pending official announcement.
West Ham United have emerged as another option in the Premier League for the Croatia international, who has caught the eye after his consistent performances in his homeland for Dinamo Zagreb.
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano dropped an update revealed that Eredivisie giants Ajax are also keen on the 23-year-old and have gone as far as submitting a ‘new bid’ for the stopper, as the Italian journalist stated on Twitter X: “EXCL: Ajax submitted new bid for Josip Sutalo, €20m [£17.2m] fixed fee plus add-ons to sign Croatian centre back. Ajax now confident to get it done but want an answer in two days — or they will move on different target as new CB.”
He then added a second piece of information that could prove to be critical in negotiations, indicating that Ajax are ‘increasingly confident’ of sealing a transfer for Sutalo and that they are looking to wrap proceedings up in the next 48 hours.
Sutalo, who has been hailed as “simply amazing”, has started the 2023/24 campaign on a strong footing for Dinamo Zagreb despite speculation surrounding his future, making five appearances for his current employers across all competitions, with four of them yielding clean sheets, as per Transfermarkt.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Daily Express journalist Taylor has complemented Nottingham Forest’s transfer strategy and confirmed that Sutalo has been evaluated at the City Ground.
Taylor stated: “I think it’s pretty clear that they’ve not done what they did last year, which I think is going to suit them better.
“But, at the same time, I do see Forest as a team that probably needs a few more signings. There is still talk that Brennan Johnson could maybe go, which is a little bit of a concern.
“But Sutalo is one that they’re going to look at now. They’re in talks with Dinamo Zagreb because it looks like Roger Ibanez is going to go to Al-Ahli.”
What next for Nottingham Forest?
Nottingham Forest have been busy in the transfer market under Steve Cooper and four signings have come through the door at the City Ground in the form of Anthony Elanga, Matt Turner and Ola Aina, alongside Chris Wood’s move from Newcastle United being made permanent, as per Transfermarkt.
According to RMC Sport journalist Fabrice Hawkins, Nottingham Forest tried to sign Youssouf Fofana from Ligue 1 outfit AS Monaco this summer; however, they were knocked back in their attempts to land the midfielder who has options elsewhere.
Back in July, The Daily Mail reported that Nottingham Forest star striker Brennan Johnson could be considered as an alternative to Harry Kane by Tottenham Hotspur if the England international were to decide to depart the north London side this window.
The Tricky Trees kick off their Premier League campaign away to Arsenal on Saturday and will be hoping to give themselves a solid platform to build on following their survival heroics last term, as per Sky Sports.
