Nottingham Forest have announced that Willy Boly has extended his stay at the City Ground until the end of the 2025/26 season, providing welcome experience to Nuno Espírito Santo’s squad.
After it was confirmed that Harry Toffolo would depart Forest, attention was turned to the future of Boly, who was said to have been offered a new deal in the end-of-season retained list.
The 34-year-old only started one Premier League game last season, but his experience and character are clearly valued by Espírito Santo, given that they’ve worked with each other at both Porto and Wolverhampton Wanderers before linking up at the City Ground.
With Forest fans delighted to see Boly sign a new deal, there may be some in the squad who have a different reaction to the news of his extension.
Winners from Willy Boly extending his stay at Nottingham Forest
Nuno Espírito Santo
Every manager has their most trusted lieutenants, and Boly seems to be Espírito Santo’s. It’s not just their strong relationship that makes this news a win for the Forest manager, though.
Boly has extensive experience in UEFA competitions with both Porto and Wolves, so with the Reds competing in Europe for the first time in 30 years this season, any past experiences in the squad will be crucial in helping Nuno adapt his side to the new challenge.
Zach Abbott
Already, Zach Abbott has praised the influence of Nikola Milenkovic in aiding the youngster’s continued development, something that Boly can surely help with.
Logically, Abbott will stay at the City Ground this summer rather than going out on loan due to his value as a homegrown player for the UEFA squad rules, so being around someone with the experience of Boly at that level could be a massive boost for Abbott.
The quality of opposition in the early stages of the Conference League should give Abbott the chance to earn some minutes, and having a seasoned professional like Boly alongside him will make that step-up much smoother.
Losers from Willy Boly extending his stay at Nottingham Forest
Morato
Morato didn’t always impress Forest fans last season when he would deputise at centre back, leaving the usually solid defensive unit looking rather shaky.
Therefore, with the Forest squad wanting to go deep in the Conference League, Boly could well earn more opportunities than Morato as a more consistent option in defence.
The extra competition will allow for minutes to be more evenly spread in theory, but Nuno will have to decide whether last season’s displays have left Morato out of the picture when it comes to the more important games.
Jair Cunha
Jair Cunha will join Forest after the Club World Cup, where he will walk into a well-stocked defensive unit that he will have to break through.
Assuming that Andrew Omobamidele agrees to his move to Strasbourg, Nuno’s options at centre back would still include:
- Murillo
- Nikola Milenkovic
- Morato
- Willy Boly
- Zach Abbott
- David Carmo
Jair has impressed at the Club World Cup, but he’d be joining as a seventh option in the Forest defence. There’s every chance he climbs up that list very quickly, but Boly’s extension has left the centre-back position overcrowded for Jair’s arrival.
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