Nottingham Forest are in the market for a winger with Antony Elanga close to joining Newcastle United.
Nottingham Forest have agreed a £52m deal to sell Anthony Elanga after weeks of negotiations with Newcastle.
Evangelos Marinakis wanted to keep Elanga, but as always in football, every player has a price, and that was clearly met in this instance.
Nottingham Forest are wasting no time in finding his replacement as Johan Bakayoko is already on Nuno Espirito Santo’s radar.
And, a fresh rumour is emerging, and this time it’s about a very highly-rated teenager.
Russell Martin on Nottingham Forest target Tyler Dibling
Nottingham Forest are interested in signing Tyler Dibling as they search for Elanga’s successor.
Southampton, who have suffered relegation to the Championship, are demanding around £55m to sanction Dibling’s sale.
His former manager Russell Martin admitted that the 19-year-old is the ‘most talented’ player he’s ever worked with, which will be music to the ears of Forest supporters.
“I don’t want to make things more difficult for him, but he’s the most talented player I’ve ever seen,” Martin said on the Rest Is Football podcast.
Lineker replied: “You’ve ever seen or you’ve worked with? Do you work with?
“Yeah, so seen live, seen on the training pitch. So I worked with James Madison at that age at Norwich. He was outstanding.
“And Tyler has every capability to go and play for England and at a top level for a very long time, because he’s powerful, he’s really quick. Both feet can shoot, no bang bang. I worked with Harry Kane at 21 when he came to Norwich on loan as well.
“Physically, the stuff I’ve seen him do at 18 in the Premier League, people just bouncing off him and being put on the floor when he dribbles with a ball. He has something I’ve not seen in a British player for a long time.”
Dibling’s outstanding underlying numbers
Dibling only managed four goals and three assists last season, but his underlying data suggests they could massively improve in a better side.
According to Fotmob, the England youth international created 20 chances for his Saints teammates, so he was worth a lot more than his three assists.
Dibling also boasted a whopping 45 successful dribbles, a stat which ranks him in the top 16.5% of wingers across the entire continent.
The 2006-born won two penalties last term, too, with his mazy runs on show against Manchester United, especially.
There’s a lot to like about the Saints winger, but the fee could be a stumbling block for Forest.
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