Nuno Espirito Santo
Nuno Espirito Santo | Getty Images
Nottingham Forest are currently sat in the top four in the Premier League after an impressive season
Nottingham Forest supporters are dreaming of Champions League football next season. The Reds have had an incredible campaign to date under the guidance of Nuno Espirito Santo and are sat in the top four along with Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea. They are hoping that they can get over the line in the end.
Nuno’s side have the chance to bring in some new faces this summer when the next window opens to bolster their ranks. They also have the opportunity to let some players head out the exit door to free up space and funds too if needed. If they are to be playing in Europe, they will need some more competition and depth to deal with the increased workload that would be coming their way.
Nottingham Forest eye former Aston Villa man Douglas Luiz
According to Italian news outlet TuttoSport, Nottingham Forest are interested in landing Juventus midfielder Douglas Luiz later this year. He left fellow top flight outfit Aston Villa last summer for a fresh start in Italy. However, he is now being heavily linked with a return to the Premier League after only 12 months in Turin.
Luiz, 26, has struggled to make the impact he would have wanted to with the Serie A giants. He has found it tough to nail down a regular place in their starting XI and hasn’t been able to find the form he had at Villa Park. The Rio de Janeiro-born man has made 22 appearances in all competitions and hasn’t scored.
After leaving Aston Villa, he explained his reasoning to join Juve and said: “I had a very positive impression, Juventus is a huge club and many great players have passed through this team. This convinced me to come here. Any player would have wanted to have this opportunity. As soon as I heard about Juve’s proposal, I immediately expressed my interest to the agents and we worked to conclude everything positively.
“I come from a championship that is probably considered the most difficult and I am very happy with this experience. In Serie A I want to do even more, I know what kind of player I am and I know my abilities, I have prepared myself for this moment and I feel ready.”
Luiz penned a bumper five-year deal meaning Nottingham Forest would need to stump up some money to try and get him out of his current arrangement. It remains to be seen exactly at this stage whether he would be available for sale. Time will tell over the next couple of months whether he will become free to depart.
How would he fit into Nuno Espirito Santo’s Forest plans?
Nottingham Forest could see Luiz as someone to add more quality to their squad under Nuno. If he joined them, he would give them something different in the middle of the park. They will need more bodies, especially in the heart of midfield, and he has shown in the past that he can perform at the top level.
Some transfers just don’t work out and the Brazilian probably has a hint of regret about leaving Aston Villa now. Forest are on a similar trajectory to Unai Emery’s side though and could be able to give him the fresh start he needs now. They may also be able to offer him more minutes than Juventus which is what he will be craving.
Luiz started his career as a youngster at Vasco de Gama and broke into their first-team as a youngster. He made the bold move to jet over to Europe in 2017 and he was snapped up by Manchester City. However, he was shipped out on loan by Pep Guardiola to Girona for two years before Aston Villa acquired him on a permanent basis.
Related topics:Nottingham ForestDouglas LuizNuno Espirito Santo
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