With Nottingham Forest signing Dan Ndoye while also advancing in a deal to bring in Douglas Luiz, Nuno Espírito Santo may have a pretty scary starting XI on his hands for the new season.
Espírito Santo is attempting a tactical overhaul for the new season, with the belief that last campaign’s counterattacking style may have been worked out by opposition managers.
Therefore, quality additions are the order of the day, first highlighted by Forest signing Dan Ndoye, who was also a target for Serie A champions Napoli.
Alongside Ndoye, Forest are advancing in talks to sign Luiz after months of rumoured interest in the Brazilian, who has reportedly been personally requested by Nuno himself. With these key additions in mind, Forest’s starting XI on the opening day against Brentford could be incredibly exciting.
How Nottingham Forest could line up against Brentford
A familiar back line
Amid the changes elsewhere, there is absolutely no need to tamper with one of the Premier League’s top defences from last season.
Crucially, Murillo has remained a Forest player despite interest from Europe’s elite sides, so the Brazilian can resume his brilliant partnership with Nikola Milenkovic in the 25/26 season.
Either side, Neco Williams and Ola Aina may need support in the form of some backup additions at full-back, but the two will of course keep their place in a back line completed by Matz Sels in goal.
Douglas Luiz could change Nottingham Forest’s midfield
Despite the tactical rethink, it makes sense that Espírito Santo would stick with a two-man pivot at the base of the Reds’ midfield.
One of the first names on the teamsheet, Espírito Santo thinks Elliot Anderson can be the best midfielder in the league so the Englishman will continue to develop this season, where he could be joined by Luiz to create a midfield that will excel in possession.
In his last full season at Aston Villa, Luiz scored ten goals and provided the same number of assists, so his ability going forward could add attacking flair to the midfield, with Ryan Yates and Ibrahim Sangare on hand to provide more defensive strength if required.
Dan Ndoye and Igor Jesus could help form a devastating front four
This is where the fluidity of Nuno’s potential tactical revolution would come in.
In Morgan Gibbs-White, Forest have a player who should be on the ball as much as possible, so allowing him an almost free role behind the strike pair could help him influence games even further.
Ndoye is excited to play with Gibbs-White, and the Swiss star would join him in this role, with the two having the flexibility to play wider when required on either side, or drift centrally when Forest want to dominate the middle of the pitch.
Up front, Chris Wood remains the focal point, but the arrival of Igor Jesus gives him a partner to play alongside, something Espírito Santo is already experimenting with in pre-season.
From what we’ve seen so far, Jesus likes to roam so even he can drop in to form a three behind Wood, or be the man to stretch the defence and create the space for Wood.
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