Nottingham Forest are in the race to sign Ben Whiteman and supporters of Mansfield Town believe the Reds could complete a masterstroke.
The Athletic are claiming that the Reds will rival Preston North End and Derby County to sign the Doncaster Rovers star man.
Whiteman is the captain in South Yorkshire right now and has scored eight goals and claimed seven assists during 2020/21.
He typically operates in a No.8 role and the kind of player to play between the lines is exactly what Forest need.
Fans of Nottingham Forest’s regional rivals, Mansfield Town, got a taste of what the midfielder is all about.
He spent the second half of the 2016/17 campaign on loan at One Call Stadium, with Steve Evans taking him on loan.
Whiteman made 23 appearances for the Stags, scoring seven goals and claiming two assists.
Since checking in at Doncaster permanently he has gone from strength to strength.
In 159 outings for Rovers, Whiteman has scored 25 times and helped himself to 15 assists.
Interest in the 24-year-old is rife and it’s easy to see why.
He boasts an array of passing and is also near the top of the League One charts when it comes to winning defensive duels.
Following news of Forest’s interest, Mansfield supporters have been advising the Reds fans base over what to expect from Whiteman.
It’s fair to say, they think Hughton could pull off a masterstroke…
Think he’s changed his style since he was with us. Had Byrom sitting behind him as the play maker when here, he was all about arriving late into the box and finishing from the edge of the area. Now he’s someone who sits deep and sprays passes around, dictating the tempo.
— Mansfield Musings (@MTFCMusings) January 11, 2021
Goals & assists mainly id imagine. He’ll get you further up the pitch, often lurked/arrived late into the area. He was brilliant. 3 years since we had him, he’ll be even better now.
— Jack Richardson (@92_jackrich) January 11, 2021
To be fair, I think he’s evolved as a player into something completely different to what we had. With us he was a goal scoring midfielder who was calm on the ball. Think he’s a far better player than when he was with us, and that’s saying something.
— James Armstrong (@jd_armstrong90) January 11, 2021
Goals, normally lurking around the edge of the box, good passing range as well
— Alfie 🏴 (@MtfcAlfie_) January 11, 2021
Quality
— Gallags01💙 (@StigStag1) January 11, 2021
Best loan signing we’ve ever had. Would be a top signing for Forest
— Jack Richardson (@92_jackrich) January 10, 2021
He’s class!
— Benedict Mason (@BenedictCMason) January 7, 2021
One of the best loan players I've seen in a Stags shirt. Consistent and continuing that consistency on at Doncaster. He can without a doubt step up another league or 2. 👌
— Ricky Jephcote (@TexasGrindEm) January 7, 2021