After Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo both struggled against Brentford on Thursday, perhaps it’s a relief to see Forest being linked with defensive reinforcements.
Milenkovic and Murillo struggled for Brentford’s goals in what must’ve been a bizarre sight to witness for Reds fans, who will be used to seeing Nuno Espirito Santo’s star defenders unfazed this season.
The rest of the footballing world has taken notice of the pair, too, with Milenkovic being compared to William Saliba of Arsenal whilst Forest slapped a world-record price tag on Murillo in an attempt to stop Europe’s elite from circling.
Beyond the two starters, though, the likes of Morato have yet to fully impress in Garibaldi Red, leading to speculation about defensive reinforcements with Continental football on the horizon.
Nottingham Forest’s wage-rise offer not enough for Federico Gatti
First on the list for defensive cover looked to be Juventus’ Federico Gatti, who has established himself within the Italian national team set up as well.
However, Gatti has chosen to sign a new Juventus contract instead, but according to TuttoSport, this decision was not a financial one.
The report said: “The five-year extension with the black and white club will, in fact, include a salary increase from the current €1.4 to €2.5 million net per season, which would have been at least €3.5 per year if the defender from Rivoli had accepted the advances from across the Channel.”
In pounds, Forest were offering Gatti a £57,000 per week deal, but he instead chose to stick with just over £40,000 per week to stay in Turin.
The domineering Italian would have been an asset to the Forest squad, but with the deal now dead, Forest could look within to find defensive cover at a young age.
Nottingham Forest have defensive prospects in their ranks
It’s hard to look past Zach Abbott as one for the future of Forest’s defence, especially after his shock start in the FA Cup semi-final.
Espirito Santo was impressed by Abbott, so it stands to reason that, should Forest need extra cover at the back with the potentially increased workload of Continental football, the academy man deserves the chance.
Alongside Abbott, there is the returning Tyler Bindon, who, by all accounts, is a defensive talent worth raving about. Bindon will play a role in pre-season, so Espirito Santo will have time to assess him, but all reports thus far about the Kiwi international from his time at Reading are certainly exciting.
Besides, Forest are desperate to sign a striker in the summer, so if the talent is already present at the back to be trusted as back-ups, a signing like Gatti perhaps was one to avoid overall.
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