Nottingham Forest have sent scouts to watch Norwich City defender Andrew Omobamidele and the Republic of Ireland legend Paul McGrath raved about him in 2021.
The Reds will target more defenders should they stay in the Premier League this season.
The 20-year-old has played 40 times for the Canaries. Furthermore, he’s won five caps for the Republic of Ireland and appears set to have a bright future in the game.
It was after his international debut that McGrath praised him. He called him ‘brilliant’ and suggested that the future looked rather bright from an Ireland perspective.
Omobamidele is a sound central defender. He’s risen through the Norwich youth ranks and is now part of David Wagner’s promotion-chasing squad in the Championship.
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Former Canaries boss Dean Smith has previously praised Omobamidele. Earlier this season he claimed: “He’s an accomplished player. He is going to be a really big player for us and he’s a big positive.”
Omobamidele will be a wanted man in the summer. Forest are unlikely to be the only club watching him right now and they might have to move quickly to land him.
Cooper will know that his team concede far too many goals. The Reds shipped another four at West Ham on Saturday and defensive reinforcements will be required during the summer.
McGrath raved about Omobamidele in 2021
Forest are clearly keen to sign more defenders. Cooper has used an astonishing nine different partnerships during 2022/23 and clearly, a more settled approach would be preferred.
The Reds have been nothing short of hapless defensively, especially away from home. If Forest do get relegated this season it will be down to their form on the road and something needs to change.
McGrath knows a thing or two about being a quality central defender. The Aston Villa legend played 323 times for the club and also made 203 appearances for Manchester United.
He served his country with distinction too, making 83 appearances for the Republic of Ireland.
Omobamidele will hope to try and emulate McGrath during his career. Moving to the Premier League would certainly help him do that and perhaps he’d welcome the chance to join Forest in the summer.