James McAtee is edging closer to a move to Nottingham Forest, with Nuno Espírito Santo plotting a unique role for the Manchester City star.
Forest agreed a deal for McAtee for a fee in excess of £20m, with the deal set to be announced after months of speculation surrounding his future at Man City.
While the deal hasn’t been confirmed yet, Forest expect McAtee to sign before the end of the week, potentially lining him up for a debut against Brentford.
McAtee would naturally fit in the squad in the very same role as Morgan Gibbs-White, but it seems that Espírito Santo sees him thriving at the City Ground in a different position.
James McAtee in action during the Premier League match between Manchester City FC and Nottingham Forest FC
Photo by Ed Sykes/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images
Where Nottingham Forest see James McAtee fitting in
McAtee and Gibbs-White could link up well for Forest but naturally, there’ll be questions over how the two attacking midfielders could co-exist in the same starting XI.
However, according to The Athletic, Espírito Santo has this thought out, seeing McAtee starring in a slightly deeper role.
The report said: “Forest see McAtee as capable of playing as a No 8 or No 10, and Nuno Espirito Santo has been keen to strengthen in midfield this summer following the sales of Danilo and Lewis O’Brien to Botafogo and Wrexham respectively.
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“[…] The 22-year-old has played many of his games on the right, but is also capable of operating as a number 10 or even as an orthodox midfielder.”
It would certainly be interesting to see McAtee in a deeper role, perhaps not providing defensive cover but the benefit to the squad in possession would be significant.
With this position in mind, though, the McAtee signing could see the Reds move away from a rumoured signing that would occupy the same position.
James McAtee’s role could see Forest move away from Douglas Luiz
It was thought that McAtee would replace Gibbs-White amid his rumoured move to Tottenham but with that now not on the cards, the two look set to dovetail in the midfield.
Another knock-on effect of this could be that Forest end their pursuit of Douglas Luiz, who would occupy the very same position as the England U21 international.
Despite the Brazilian being available throughout the summer, Juventus want a replacement for Luiz before selling him to the Premier League.
There had been a suggestion that Ibrahim Sangare could be used in a swap deal for Luiz but with the plans for McAtee, there looks to be no need to sign Luiz, freeing up funds for other positions in the Forest squad.