Nottingham Forest rival Crystal palace for Championship sensation with ‘undoubted talent’

Add as preferred source on Google

Nottingham Forest’s attacking flair has been apparent in recent weeks, with Nuno Espirito Santo’s side scoring five goals in their last two matches.

Three goals came in Forest’s win against Manchester United, whilst a further two were added in dramatic fashion as Forest beat Aston Villa to rise to fourth in the Premier League table.

Chris Wood has taken the majority of the praise, with Jermain Defoe hailing Wood who has ten goals already in the league this season.

Darren Fletcher praised Morgan Gibbs-White for his attacking output against United, too, highlighting the confidence that the Forest squad are playing with currently.

However, with the January transfer window approaching, Evangelos Marinakis has seemingly set his eyes on another attacking talent who has been impressive in the Championship at just 19 years old.

Nottingham Forest keen on Millwall starlet Romain Esse

According to a report in The Telegraph, Forest are set to target Romain Esse, who is experiencing quite the breakthrough campaign at Millwall in the Championship.

The report states that Forest have “regularly watched” Esse this season, who is seen as a “long-term target” for the club.

Forest are seemingly impressed with Esse’s talent in the lower league, with the report suggesting that: “the club feel gems can also be found in the Championship.”

However, Crystal Palace have been monitoring the young winger too, with their geographical position in London providing a potential advantage over Espirito Santo’s side. The report backs this theory up, stating that: “Forest are aware that Palace remains his most likely destination.”

It is clear to see why Esse is proving so popular with Premier League scouts, with his stats this season showing what he could over to the Forest frontline.

Romain Esse’s impressive Championship stats

Esse’s former manager, Neil Harris, told Southwark News that the young winger had “undoubted talent”, with his Millwall stats showing just why Harris placed such trust in Esse.

Esse has completed 2.22 dribbles per match so far this season, with a success rate of 50% showing his unwillingness to give up.

He has also created 22 chances for his Millwall teammates, alongside chipping in with three goals himself.

Perhaps most impressively, though, Esse averages 8.66 defensive duels won per game this season, backed up by 5.19 successful recoveries per 90 minutes.

Clearly, Esse has the attacking talents to thrive at the City Ground, but his defensive tenacity will be particularly impressive to Espirito Santo and his Forest coaching staff as they look to continue to fight for a place in Europe next season.