Nottingham Forest to battle Newcastle for winger ready to ‘step’ into the Premier League, he’s perfect for Nuno

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Nottingham Forest have got a lot of joy from their wingers this season, but there has been a notable drop-off when one of the starting duo is unavailable.

So far this season, Anthony Elanga has bagged three goals and nine assists in all competitions and whilst Callum Hudson-Odoi has only managed six goal contributions, his influence in Nuno Espirito Santo’s side is unquestioned.

Elanga created three goals in the 7-0 win over Brighton in a remarkable performance for a winger, especially in a game without his usual partner, after Hudson-Odoi picked up an injury against Southampton.

Hudson-Odoi’s absence was felt even more as his natural replacements out wide struggled. Forest fans slammed Jota Silva’s display against Bournemouth and Espirito Santo has preferred to use Elanga more centrally over bringing in Ramon Sosa to plug the gap left by the former Chelsea man.

Therefore, a wide player that the Forest manager trusts may be high on the transfer wish list in the summer, with Evangelos Marinakis seemingly setting his sites on a particularly promising target already.

Nottingham Forest register interest in Brazilian sensation Igor Paixao

Sosa decided to stay at Forest in the January window despite interest from Europe but his stance may be altered if Marinakis is able to secure a deal for Brazilian winger Igor Paixao from Dutch side Feyenoord.

According to Soccer News in the Netherlands, Premier League sides are beginning to circle the 24-year-old winger who has registered eight goals and 11 assists this season.

The report said: “The Premier League has taken notice of him and […] Bournemouth, Newcastle and Nottingham Forest are all interested in a deal.”

Paixao’s father was also quoted in the report, suggesting that his son is ready for the step into English football’s top competition.

On Paixao’s initial move to Feyenoord, he said: “America was probably the best option in financial terms, but Igor was 22 at the time. He will certainly earn even more in the coming years, but money was certainly not the most important motivation then.

“We compared all the options, looked at what kind of club and what kind of city he would end up in. Feyenoord turned out to be the best option.

“Every player wants to play in one of the big leagues. But if we take a step after this season, it has to be a well-considered step. So that we don’t make a mistake and regret it in the future.”

Clearly approaching his career in a measured style, Paixao’s statistics for Feyenoord show that he’s more than capable of making this “step” and becoming a crucial figure in Espirito Santo’s Forest squad.

Igor Paixao could be perfect for Nuno Espirito Santo

It’s already been made clear that Marinakis is desperate to sign a striker in the summer, but if Forest are to qualify for European football, extra quality out wide wouldn’t go amiss either.

Paixao’s Eredivisie stats will be incredibly enticing for the Forest coaching staff as his 13 goal contributions put him ahead of what both Elanga and Hudson-Odoi have managed in all competitions this season.

Aside from the goal contributions, though, Paixao is also thriving in the more detailed stats, creating 2.12 chances for his Feyenoord teammates whilst also completing 1.85 successful dribbles of his own, showing that he could create enough for Chris Wood in Espirito Santo’s counterattacking style.

5.90 touches in the opposition box also demonstrate that the Brazilian knows how to position himself to score goals of his own, something that Forest will desperately need if they are competing on multiple fronts next season.