Contact made: Nottingham Forest in move to sign “amazing” new £40m striker. Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo is seen before the match
After defeat against Aston Villa highlighted Nottingham Forest’s lack of firepower without Chris Wood, the Champions League hopefuls have now reportedly made contact over a deal to sign an impressive Manchester United target.
Nottingham Forest’s search for a striker goes on
It may come as a surprise that those at the City Ground have set their sights on an attacking reinforcement, but as good as Wood is there is no denying that he won’t be at the peak of his powers for much longer. At 33 years old, the New Zealand international has shocked the Premier League by scoring as many as 18 goals to help his side edge closer and closer to Champions League qualification.
Without their star striker, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side were always likely to struggle, but that won’t take away from the disappointment of defeat at Villa Park on Saturday evening.
Speaking about the defeat, Espirito Santo told reporters: “We didn’t start well, Aston Villa controlled our chances. The second half was different, we had the chances but we couldn’t score. The first half was not good, we were not organised.
“We tried to find solutions. The boys showed a better game. It was one of the matches that we created the most in but didn’t take anything from the game. When you lose, you don’t recover so well. The miles come to your mind. It’s always easy when you are in a good moment. Now it is not so good and it requires a bit of patience.”
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Meanwhile, when asked for an update on the likes of Wood and Taiwo Awoniyi, the Forest boss said: “I don’t know [when they will be back]. It is going to be day-to-day. He [Taiwo Awoniyi] felt something in his hamstring.”
In the final stretch towards Champions League qualification, Forest will now be desperate to get over the line and turn their attention towards summer reinforcements.
Nottingham Forest make contact to sign Mateta
One striker who would instantly solve Espirito Santo’s pending striker problem is an option who has been in excellent form this season. According to Rudy Galetti for TeamTalk, Nottingham Forest have now made contact over a potential deal to sign Jean-Philippe Mateta, who Crystal Palace value at around £40m ahead of this summer.
The Frenchman has also attracted the interest of Manchester United and did nothing to harm his chances of earning a big move in the coming months this weekend, scoring a stunning goal against rivals Brighton & Hove Albion. Dubbed “amazing” by Oliver Glasner earlier in the campaign, Mateta looks unlikely to slow down anytime soon.
Scoring his 16th goal of the season in all competitions, Mateta has almost gone stride for stride with Wood for goals throughout the current campaign and could now emerge as an ideal candidate to replace the Forest star this summer.
