Given the success of Nottingham Forest’s signings this season, it’s easy to forget some of the more disappointing deals of recent years.
Evangelos Marinakis couldn’t have done much better with his signings for Forest this season, with his marquee deals in the summer proving immediate hits.
Elliot Anderson signed from Newcastle United in July and has assisted five goals for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side from midfield, managing to impress enough that the injured Danilo and Ibrahim Sangare weren’t truly missed in the Forest squad.
Someone who has arguably done even better than Anderson though is Nikola Milenkovic. Milenkovic joined Forest from Fiorentina and has been imperious at the back alongside Murillo, so much so that Milenkovic and Murillo were compared with Arsenal’s defence in terms of quality.
At only £12 million, Milenkovic was a truly inspired piece of business by Marinakis, but not all of his defensive signings have turned out as well. One particularly poor deal involved a player who might be about to make a shock return to the Premier League.
Former Nottingham Forest man Loic Bade set for Premier League
According to Fabrizio Romano, Loic Bade is set to return to the Premier League with Aston Villa, three years after his forgettable spell at the City Ground under Steve Cooper.
Bade signed on loan for Forest in 2022 from Stade Rennais in his native France, with the centre-back aiming to help Forest remain in the Premier League after promotion from the Championship the season prior.
Remarkably, though, Bade didn’t make a single appearance for the club and was understandably recalled in January having only made the matchday squad once.
Bade understood why Cooper didn’t play him given the intense competitiveness of being a newly-promoted side, but it must slightly sting for the Forest owner to see how well the Frenchman has gone on to do at Sevilla.
Tottenham were linked with Bade in 2023 but that move never materialised. However, if Bade does join Villa, he will get the chance to face his former side in a crucial period of the season.
Forest could reunite with Loic Bade in a crucial April fixture
Villa remain hot on the tails of Forest and others in the Premier League table, with Unai Emery’s side still aiming for a European football place.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  LiverpoolLiverpool | 20 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 48 | 20 | 28 | 47 |
| 2 |  ArsenalArsenal | 21 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 41 | 19 | 22 | 43 |
| 3 |  Nottm ForestNottingham Forest | 21 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 30 | 20 | 10 | 41 |
| 4 |  NewcastleNewcastle | 21 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 37 | 22 | 15 | 38 |
| 5 |  ChelseaChelsea | 21 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 41 | 26 | 15 | 37 |
| 6 |  Man CityManchester City | 21 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 38 | 29 | 9 | 35 |
| 7 |  Aston VillaAston Villa | 21 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 31 | 32 | -1 | 35 |
This could make the side’s clash in April a potentially decisive one, given that there would only be seven league fixtures after the meeting.
Forest beat Aston Villa in December’s clash at the City Ground thanks to an incredibly late winner by Anthony Elanga. Bade doesn’t seem to hold any ill feelings towards Forest, but he would surely love to get one over on the club for his disastrous loan spell.
A loss for Espirito Santo’s side against Villa would start a period of games that should be the final stretch towards European football. Nobody could’ve guessed that Bade would have a potential role in halting this charge.
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