Nottingham Forest have a number of stars they’ll want to keep hold of this summer, with both Murillo and Callum Hudson-Odoi drawing interest from elsewhere.
The end of the season hasn’t been perfect for all, as Hudson-Odoi picked up a hamstring injury, potentially ruling him out for the final fortnight of the season.
This injury has come alongside Napoli showing interest in Hudson-Odoi, making the star winger’s future at the club less certain than Nuno Espirito Santo would like.
His talent is unquestionable and would be incredibly costly for the club to replace, especially when considering how highly his teammates, like Murillo, rate Hudson-Odoi’s importance to Forest.
Murillo praises ‘complete player’ Callum Hudson-Odoi
Murillo himself has become a highly sought-after target for a transfer as well, with Chelsea looking at Murillo as one of the top defensive prospects in world football.
The Brazilian seems fairly happy at the City Ground, though, which is perhaps down to his teammates, with Hudson-Odoi especially picked out for praise when Murillo spoke to the Premier League.
Murillo said: “I think he’s [Hudson-Odoi] a complete player, both defensively and especially going forward. Having come through at Chelsea, he knows what it means to play for a big club and to win titles. He’s a great player, and I’ve always thought that. He keeps coming up with important goals for us.”
| Appearances | Goals | Assists | |
| Callum Hudson Odoi | 34 | 5 | 2 |
While he hasn’t hit close to the numbers that Chris Wood has managed, Murillo is right to bring up Hudson-Odoi’s knack for producing in important moments, something the Forest squad could really do with in the final two games of the season.
Callum Hudson-Odoi is Nottingham Forest’s big game player
Hudson-Odoi won the Champions League with Chelsea during his time at his boyhood club, perhaps allowing him to take the pressure of those moments into Forest’s crucial matches.
Arguably, the most important was at Anfield, where the 24-year-old scored the winner as Forest beat Liverpool in September. Hudson-Odoi knew he’d make a difference off the bench that day, which emphasised his love for the big moments.
He would then repeat the trick when Manchester City arrived at the City Ground, coolly blasting home the winner to earn a significant win in the Champions League race. Michael Owen claimed Hudson-Odoi loved the big occasion that day, which is hard to argue with.
If Forest do lose Hudson-Odoi in the summer, his talent would, of course, be missed, but talent is replaceable. Evangelos Marinakis may have more difficulty replacing the winger’s ability to thrive in the high-pressure moments.
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