Nottingham Forest were defeated 2-0 on Saturday at QPR and a statistic has emerged that should give Forest a clue as to where the squad still needs bolstering.
Nuno Da Costa finished the weekend with the unwanted statistic of having the most unsuccessful touches of the ball in the Championship (Who Scored).
The Cape Verdian had seven unsuccessful touches, one ahead of former Forest striker Britt Assombalonga during Middlesbrough’s game at Watford.
Da Costa’s Championship career is only 11 games old and there have been some flashes which show just how good the £1.8 million player can be.
If Forest have ambitions of kicking on though they perhaps need another wide option and this latest statistic serves to highlight such a point.
The 28-year-old was signed as a striker and it could be argued that he’s currently playing out of position on the flank in Sabri Lamouchi’s team.
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Sammy Ameobi and Joe Lolley are probably the first choice options on the flanks. After those two, however, there isn’t much else.
Da Costa as previously mentioned has shown flashes but has he done enough to show he’s a regular starter at this stage?
Then there’s Alex Mighten who has looked lively during his cameo appearances in the team.
At 18 though he is perhaps still a little bit raw to take on the mantle of playing every single week.
The final piece of the jigsaw
If Forest were to sign another proven option out wide it would only serve to strengthen their promotion bid.
Da Costa is a decent squad player but with Ameobi and Lolley working towards full fitness he has perhaps highlighted that he shouldn’t be starting every week.
A player like Jacob Murphy could be a game-changing signing for the Reds and the Newcastle man was linked with the club last month (Teamtalk).
A proven winger would be ideal and the weekend’s statistics regarding Da Costa must have given Lamouchi some food for thought.
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