Nottingham Forest moved quickly to replace the injured Danilo by landing James Ward-Prowse on a season-long loan from West Ham on transfer deadline day.
The Reds were rocked on the opening day when the Brazilian player lay stricken on the turf after breaking his ankle against Bournemouth.
Danilo has undergone surgery and he should be back for Forest before the turn of the year.
However, Nuno Espirito Santo moved to add Ward-Prowse to the ranks and he boasts years of experience playing in the Premier League.
The 29-year-old was unable to play in the home game against Wolves which came hours after the transfer window slammed shut – but he’s since been involved.
Ward-Prowse made his debut against Liverpool as Forest won 1-0 and he started the game against Brighton on Sunday.
However, he was hooked at half-time against Brighton and touched the ball just 20 times to give Forest head coach Espirito Santo a conundrum of sorts.
Nottingham Forest have to do more to get the best out of Ward-Prowse
It would be harsh to say that Ward-Prowse is merely a footballing equivalent of a quarterback – someone who is only on the pitch for a particular practice, in the case of the Forest midfielder his set-pieces.
Kevin Nolan has praised the passing ability of Ward-Prowse – calling him ‘excellent’ – and he’s going to offer so much more than just taking free-kicks and corners.
However, it’s no secret that he’s dynamite in deadball situations and Forest have to start doing a little bit more to help him out.
His ability from set-pieces was evident when he had the ball in his hand whilst VAR checked the penalty but when it was confirmed he tossed the ball to Chris Wood to take the kick.
On Sunday, he was substituted at half-time and although he’d not done that much – 13 of his 20 passes were completed – it’s no surprise he was hooked.
Ward-Prowse was unable to showcase his ability from set-piece situations as Forest didn’t win a single corner or free kick in the final third, according to Who Scored.
Brighton are a tough nut to crack and perhaps their gameplan stifled Forest from being able to create these situations but it’s definitely something for Espirito Santo to think about.
Ward-Prowse can star for Forest this season
When the midfielder signed for Forest he was left stunned by the history of the club when he walked around the City Ground.
He pushed for the move to Forest amid interest from other Premier League clubs and that does bode well.
| Position | Team | PlayedMP | WonW | DrawnD | LostL | ForGF | AgainstGA | DiffGD | PointsPts |
| 6 |  NewcastleNewcastle | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 10 |
| 7 |  BrightonBrighton | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 9 |
| 8 |  Nottm ForestNottingham Forest | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 9 |
| 9 |  FulhamFulham | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 8 |
| 10 |  TottenhamTottenham | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 7 |
Ward-Prowse is only a couple of free-kicks away from breaking the record held by David Beckham in the Premier League era and he will want to get those this season.
Forest have to be savvy with Ward-Prowse in their ranks. He scored seven goals and claimed 11 assists last season and the more set pieces that can be created the better.
The club have pulled off a real coup by getting the 11-time England international over the line and now it’s for Espirito Santo to ensure he gets the very best out of him.
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