After featuring 35 times in the Premier League last season, Aina and Forest have come to a consensus that the Nigerian international should extend his stay Trentside until 2028.
He joins his manager Nuno Espirito Santo, Chris Wood, and centre-back Murillo in signing new deals. Fellow full-back Neco Williams also signed the dotted line last week to stay at Nottingham Forest until the summer of 2029.
Aina was pivotal for Matz Sels, who achieved his first Golden Glove by keeping 13 clean sheets alongside David Raya and won possession in the defensive third more times than any other player in Europe's top five leagues, according to the Nottingham Forest website.
As Forest secured a place in Europe for the first time in 30 seasons in Nuno's transformative first full season in charge, Aina transitioned to become a regular right-back instead of being used on the left, starting at Forest's historic 1-0 win at Anfield in September.
Speaking to the club website, Aina said, "I'm over the moon, I can't wait to continue this jouney with the Club. It's always felt like a home ever since I joined, and I'm happy to be here. Now my focus is on preparing for the new season well and getting back to hard work."
Meanwhile, ownerEvangelos Marinakis, who has great ambitions for the club and involvement in their transfer activity, also said, "Ola has skill, determination and character in abundance. He epitomises the culture and hard work we expect from everyone associated with Forest. He has had a big influence since his arrival here, and we look forward to continuing that journey together to help us achieve incredible things."
Aina’s contract was due to expire next summer alongside Callum Hudson-Odoi, who is yet to follow suit, and failing to retain the winger could be a decision the club come to rue ahead of next season when they contend with the demands of UEFA Conference League and top-flight football.
Both Aina and Hudson-Odoi won the FA Youth Cup together at Chelsea, where they were both academy products, and both have progressed to become stable assets at Nottingham Forest.
Following several weeks of certainty regarding Igor Jesus’ move to Forest, an official announcement has finally been made, and the Brazilian striker is The Tricky Trees’ first signing this summer, despite pre-season getting underway in Nottingham on Monday.
Meanwhile, Anthony Elanga could be on his way out the door as Newcastle United have stepped up their pursuit of the Swede and are likely to match Forest’s valuation with their other forward targets drifting out of sight.
Does Elanga’s potential departure actually hold significance for Aina?
The formidable duo on Forest's right flank both signed in the 2023 summer window as Forest, under Nuno’s guidance, looked to cement themselves in the Premier League following a monumental promotion from the Championship.
Aina was regularly deployed at left-back in his 22 appearances across his opening domestic campaign, when Forest narrowly managed to maintain their Premier League status.
Nuno elected to convert Aina into a right-back for 24/25 and his relationship with Elanga flourished, as the pair were both on the pitch together in all but three Premier League matches.
Although Aina’s goal contributions that directly supplied Elanga left more to be desired, Elanga so often surged forward and initiated chances in a matter of moments. Aina’s role did not necessarily require attacking support.
Out-of-possession work and offloading the ball forwards were the assignments surely injected into Aina’s style, and he became accustomed to seeing Elanga ready to pounce on the counter-attack ahead of him.
Forest may tweak their style to have more emphasis on their capabilities with the ball, which Nuno could tactically reinforce in the pre-season period.
Even though stalwart duo Aina and Elanga did not form a direct partnership on the ball, with Nuno's potential tactical alterations, Forest have to work to bring in a worthy replacement if their winger should decide to leave.
They should use the funds accrued by his potential transfer to approach various high-value targets that would complement their right-back Aina.
As Forest doubled their points tally and achieved a 7th place finish, they adopted a clearly stubborn style enforced by Nuno, which made them an impenetrable outfit once the plan went their way but often inhibited them from taking three points when forced to adapt.
Aina was, therefore, restricted in his offensive involvements, which was also the case due to Elanga’s role.
Although he ranked lowest for non-penalty expected goals and expected assists per 90 minutes, according to Fbref, compared to positional peers Pedro Porro, Daniel Munoz, Jurrien Timber, and Tino Livramento, his clearances and fouls drawn were superior.
Alongside Neco Williams, his tendency to alleviate danger when opponents piled the pressure onto Forest’s low-block by sending the ball up the pitch or using his intelligence to halt proceedings by winning a foul were vital nuances throughout the season.
Additionally, Aina was consistently selected and available for Nuno, apart from a short spell with injury, which saw him sidelined for three games when Forest entered the run-in, and he was crucially absent for their FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City.
Even though Forest had their fair share of chances to claw back from a two-goal deficit and force extra time, missing Aina, along with Williams, was a huge setback before the match commenced.
Pep Guardiola’s possession-oriented style overcame Nuno’s contrastingly defensive and transitional preferences, but would The Citizens have found the breakthrough if both full-backs started? City seemed well aware that they could exploit the weaknesses at Wembley of those in red, particularly on the wings.
Aina has amassed serious minutes for Forest and will continue to be valuable by staying true to his defensive duties.
He could also add layers to his already versatile profile when Forest’s shorter passages of play with the ball may start to become a more regular part of their style in the new campaign.