Nottingham Forest make clear January decision on Alex Moreno and Aston Villa

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Nuno Espirito Santo has performed remarkably to steer Nottingham Forest into a battle for European football, but he will be thankful for the success of his summer transfers.

Summer signing Nikola Milenkovic starred as Forest beat Aston Villa in a result that truly cemented their credentials as a challenger for the continental qualification spots this season.

Much has been made of the success of the Serbian thus far. Forest used detailed analysis to identify Milenkovic, which has clearly paid off as the centre-back has contributed to Forest keeping the fifth most clean sheets in the Premier League.

Another success story has been Jota Silva, who has had to bide his time for a chance under Espirito Santo but is beginning to impress. Jota Silva starred against Manchester United with an assist, showing that the Forest manager’s patience with the winger is paying off.

Not all of Forest’s signings in the summer have been perfect, though, with one report suggesting that Alex Moreno’s time at the City Ground might not be extended beyond his current loan.

Alex Moreno’s loan unlikely to be made permanent in January

In a piece by The Telegraph, Forest’s summer window was reflected on triumphantly one deal that wasn’t remarked upon as excitedly was the loan signing of Moreno.

Moreno joined on loan from Aston Villa in August and whilst the move hasn’t been a disaster by any means, the Spaniard has somewhat flattered to deceive in comparison to some of Forest’s other deals.

On the potential to extend Moreno’s spell at Forest, the report said: “There is an option to sign Aston Villa loanee Alex Moreno permanently but, at this stage, there is little advantage in activating it next month (January).

Whilst not ruling out the potential to keep the left-back, the report was fairly unconvinced that Forest would pursue what should be a fairly simple deal between Evangelos Marinakis and Villa.

Perhaps this reluctance has less to do with Moreno’s ability, but rather the impressive performances of Neco Williams at left-back in recent weeks.

Neco Williams has out-shone Alex Moreno at left-back

Forest fans praised Ola Aina against Manchester United in what was another strong performance by the right-back, so much so that his competition, Williams, has found himself seeking out minutes on the other flank.

Whether the Forest coaching staff were expecting him to or not, Williams has shone on the left, with stats to back it up against Villa especially.

He completed all of his attempted tackles, whilst winning 75% of his ground duels and not being dribbled past once. He also played six passes into the final third, helping the Forest squad break down a Villa side with a lead to protect.

Whether Williams’ form has contributed to Forest’s hesitation in making Moreno’s deal permanent is difficult to tell but if a right-back can outshine the Spaniard in his preferred position, Marinakis may be right to not commit to any deal for now.