Nottingham Forest look set to finally announce the departure of Elliot Anderson as Manchester City move closer to getting their man.
As Ibrahim Sangare was strutting his stuff for the Ivory Coast at the World Cup, news outlets up and down the country were reporting that Forest and Manchester City had finally agreed terms.
It’s believed that a deal in the region of £116 million has been struck between the two clubs, with Forest making a huge profit on the fee which they paid for him two summers ago.
Now, the anxiety will kick in among the Forest fan base, with a bank loan of cash available for new players and the Reds having a somewhat inconsistent past when it comes to recruitment.
Nottingham Forest can emulate Aston Villa
Forest need to think more like Aston Villa when they sold Jack Grealish and less like Tottenham when they sold Gareth Bale when it comes to their recruitment drive post-Anderson.
It was City who parted with £100 million to land Grealish and although Villa fans were sore to lose one of their own, it was the moment they finally had the resources to invest and set themselves up to really kick on.
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On paper, the players Villa signed don’t jump off the page. Emi Buendia came in as an attractive signing from Norwich, Leon Bailey was signed from Leverkusen, Lucas Digne was picked up from Everton, and Danny Ings from Southampton.
However, there was a meticulous approach to spending the money and even last season, Digne and Buendia were big players in their successful campaign that saw them beat Forest on the way to winning the Europa League.
Furthermore, Villa went and signed Ashley Young on a free transfer and also took Axel Tuanzebe on loan, with both proving positive signings at the time.
Forest need to move quickly for transfer targets
Way before Villa sold Grealish, they already earmarked players to come in, and that’s exactly what Forest have to consider doing here.
Nobody is saying the likes of George Syrianos and Pedro Fereira are sitting on their hands, but Vitor Pereira will be desperate to get Anderson’s replacement in at the club before pre-season training.
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The midfielder is set for a £116m move to Manchester City
Forest have also been burnt in the past when it comes to spending after a departure, but never in history have the Reds managed to cash in on a player for in excess of £116 million.
Aston Villa are a superbly run football club, and in fairness, it’s hard to knock Evangelos Marinakis when it comes to how he’s overseen things at Forest.
After narrowly avoiding relegation last season, now is the time to really kick on. With this bounty of cash available, a quick glance at how Villa spent their Grealish bounty certainly wouldn’t go amiss.
Not every transfer comes with guaranteed success, but if Forest get their recruitment right with their new wad of cash in their pocket, it will provide a golden chance to truly kick on and emulate Villa.
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