Tim Vickery is a man who knows his Brazilian football and he’s backing Nottingham Forest star Danilo to thrive in the Premier League. The 21-year-old swapped Palmeiras for the City Ground yesterday in a deal worth around £16 million.
Forest have been chasing the central midfielder for a little while. They’ve been forced to move quickly, with Senegal midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate picking up a cruel hamstring injury at the World Cup.
Danilo has won the Copa Libertadores on two occasions and last season he made 58 appearances for Palmeiras. He starred in the team alongside Gustavo Scarpa who claimed the division’s Golden Ball award.
Vickery believes he will shine and told 5 Live’s World Football Podcast: “This is a bit of a coup for Nottingham Forest. He’s a left-footed central midfielder; he’s very athletic and he’s very mobile. He wins the ball, breaks up play and passes the ball pretty well.
“I think there are two reasons why he’s gone to Nottingham Forest. Last summer there were a few clubs who wanted him and I think Arsenal were one of those. He just fell off a little bit during the second half of last season. He got called up to the Brazil friendlies in South Korea and Japan and the step up was a little bit steeper than he expected.
“Another reason is that Forest have stumped up the cash and Palmeiras wanted to get his full valuation. He won’t need any adaptation time and I think Forest have done a very good piece of business here.”
Vickery backing Danilo to thrive in the Premier League
Similarly to when Scarpa first signed, supporters will judge overseas players when they’ve played for the club. It has to be said, however, that the 29-year-old already looks like a good signing.
Danilo must now perform in the same way. He looks to have all the credentials to become a success in England and at 21-years-old, he has bags of time on his side.
The youngster joins at a time when he should get in the team. Kouyate is injured, whilst Ryan Yates also took a whack to the face against Leicester at the weekend.
It’s an exciting time to be a Forest supporter right now. With Danilo joining the ranks the future could be about to get bright too.