In the recent past, Nottingham Forest have prioritised quantity in the transfer market, even breaking the English record for new faces in a single transfer window in 2022, but this summer they have focused on quality.
Forest scouts were clearly impressed by Botafogo’s Club World Cup campaign that saw their side survive a group that contained both PSG and Atlético Madrid. Off the back of that campaign, Nuno Espirito Santo brought in Botafogo duo Igor Jesus and Jair Cunha, with defensive midfielder Danilo going the other way. The pair will reinforce either end of the pitch with Jesus playing as a striker and Cunha as a centre-back.
Their other major signing is Dan Ndoye – the versatile Swiss winger has become one of Forest’s most expensive signings ever. Forest signing Ndoye was something of a coup as he was a Manchester United target and spent the first four years of his career at clubs connected to United’s new minority shareholder, Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
While they’ve made two major attacking signings in Ndoye and Jesus, it doesn’t look like they are done there. The club lost Anthony Elanga to Newcastle earlier in the window and missed out on Champions League qualification when Chris Wood’s goals dried up at the end of the season, so another attacker may be needed to ensure a strong finish to this year’s campaign.
Forest pushing for Hutchinson
David Ornstien of The Athletic has revealed that Forest have tried to deepen their attacking numbers even further by adding Omari Hutchinson to their ranks. Hutchinson was relegated from the Premier League last season and has been receiving interest from several top-flight clubs.
Forest’s owner, Evangelos Marinakis, placed a bid of £35 million, which was rejected by Ipswich. It now seems likely that if Forest want to secure Hutchinson’s signature, they may have to make him a club record signing.
The Reds aren’t the first Premier League side to have shown an interest in Hutchinson this summer, as Brentford also made an approach earlier in the window.
At the start of last season, Hutchinson was only on £6,000 a week, making him not only one of the lowest-paid players in the Ipswich squad but in the entire league. This is less than any of the main Nottingham Forest squad were on at the same point last season, meaning it’s almost certain that a move for Hutchinson will see the England Under-21 star receive a huge pay rise.
Why Hutchinson is a “special talent”
Hutchinson first hit a lot of football fans’ radar when he was at the Chelsea academy, where he was being viewed as a “special talent”.
When compared to players of a similar profile, what makes Hutchinson so special is his success rate despite limited chances in a poor Ipswich side.
|
Attacking Midfielders League Stats 2024/25 Campaign |
|||
|
Hutchinson |
Garnacho |
Cherki |
|
|
Total Shots |
45 |
84 |
45 |
|
Shot on Target |
40% |
34.5% |
42.2% |
|
Short Pass Completion |
88.5% |
88.4% |
89.5% |
|
Medium Pass Completion |
83.5% |
82.1% |
82.3% |
|
Stats from FBREF |
|||
Given that Hutchinson played in a lower-quality side that got relegated, and Rayan Cherki and Alejandro Garnacho played for teams that reached the latter stages of the Europa League, Hutchinson’s stats look even more impressive. Additionally, although Cherki narrowly surpasses Hutchinson in some fields, the standard of Ligue 1 is lower than that of the Premier League.
Hutchinson’s pass completion in short to medium range (where he predominantly operates as an attacking midfielder) shows a calmness under pressure that ensures he retains the ball. When comparing his shots to Garnacho, it shows that Hutchinson is more considerate of the ball, showing the maturity to know when to shoot and when to pass.
Hutchinson’s collectiveness on the ball will be a boost to his attacking teammates and should lead to them receiving better quality passes and avoiding unnecessary turnovers. With all of these skills at only 21 years old, it is clear why Nuno and Marinakis are pushing for this deal.
