Douglas Luiz has finally been confirmed as a Nottingham Forest player, bringing an ability with him that looks set to significantly boost the Reds squad.
Luiz flew over to the UK on Thursday to complete a deal months in the making, with Edu finally completing a deal to sign a player he even targeted at Arsenal.
Remarkably, Forest are set to pay just £25m for Luiz should the obligation to buy the Brazilian be triggered, which will turn into an option instead if he doesn’t hit a threshold of games played.
Given his quality, you’d suspect he’ll become a prominent member of the Forest squad, with one aspect of his game set to be particularly beneficial.
Douglas Luiz in action for Juventus against AC Milan
Photo by Daniele Badolato – Juventus FC/Juventus FC via Getty Images
Douglas Luiz could become Nottingham Forest’s set-piece expert
Forest scored 12 goals from set pieces last season which is nothing to be scoffed at, but the departure of Anthony Elanga has left Nuno Espírito Santo without his best corner taker.
This is where Luiz may come in for the Reds, as set pieces became a trademark of his game at Aston Villa, something he worked on with a specific set-piece coach.
He said to Sky Sports in 2023: “Yes, I have worked a lot on set-pieces. Austin [MacPhee, set-piece coach] has given me great confidence since he arrived [at Aston Villa].
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“He is a guy who likes to work hard. He teaches you what you have to do in every scenario, and how every set play should go, so I go onto the pitch with my confidence very, very high, knowing I am capable of putting in a good ball in. That helps me a lot.”
The Forest squad collectively are a threat at set pieces, but one star in particular will be licking his lips at the possibility of Luiz delivering crosses to him.
Nikola Milenkovic could score even more goals with Luiz’s delivery
Such was his impact defensively for Forest, Gary Neville said Nikola Milenkovic was the signing of the season in the Premier League.
He also had an impact going forward, too, contributing five goals in his first season in English football. Four of these goals came from corners, and given how successful he is at winning aerial duels, a quality delivery could see this number increase.
Milenkovic won 2.73 aerial duels per game last season, with a success rate of 71.6% across the campaign, so the Forest coaching staff will know that consistency with delivery could see the Serbian earn more chances to score, making his relationship with Luiz potentially crucial.