Nottingham Forest have had a relatively quiet summer transfer window compared to their usual levels, with seven first-team additions arriving at the City Ground.
The Reds have gone wild in the 2022 summer window, making more than 20 new additions in a bid to stay competitive in their first Premier League campaign in more than two decades.
However, the club are known to take drastic measures on deadline day, as demonstrated this time last year, signing seven players in one day – including a club record deal for midfielder Ibrahim Sangare.
It is unlikely that Nuno Espírito Santo's side will repeat such numbers today, but there is a good chance that a variety of new players could arrive on Trentside.
One player has caught the eye, with a deal likely to be completed before today's 11pm deadline.
Nottingham Forest are in talks to sign the Premier League star
According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, Nottingham Forest have included James Ward-Prowse on their shortlist, and the transfer guru revealed last night via live stream (23mins:17secs) that talks are “ongoing” over a move to the East Midlands.
It is not yet clear whether the move will be a loan or permanent move, but the 29-year-old is making headlines at the club.
The former Southampton ace could be brought in temporarily, acting as cover for Danilo after it was confirmed the Brazilian will be out until at least December after undergoing surgery on his ankle problem against Bournemouth.
The Hammers ace would be an excellent addition to Nuno's side, who could be a new breed of talent for the Reds who have played since the City Ground.
Why Ward-Prowse could be Forest's Gibbs-White 2.0
Midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White has been a key signing for Forest following his £25m move from Wolves in the summer of 2022.
Eyebrows have been raised over the fee due to his lack of impact in England's top flight, however, the deal looks to be the best of two years on, with the 24-year-old earning his first England call-up. games against Ireland and Finland next month.
He enjoyed a fine start to the new campaign, scoring the decisive goal in a 1-0 win over Southampton last weekend – a first win of the campaign for Nuno's side.
With Ward-Prowse, the Reds have a chance to replicate the Gibbs-White deal, FBref ranks the two as similar players based on their various stats from last season.
When looking at their stats, “unbelievably” the West Ham ace, as described by former boss Ralph Hassenhuttl, matched Gibbs-White in combined goals and assists, despite playing a deeper role than the England international.
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How do Ward-Prowse & Gibbs-White compare in 2023/24 |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Mathematics (90 percentile) |
Ward-Prowse |
Gibbs-White |
|
Games played |
38 |
37 |
|
Terms + help |
15 |
15 |
|
Continuous passes |
4.5 |
4.8 |
|
Shooting-on-target accuracy |
39% |
19% |
|
Pass accuracy |
83% |
71% |
|
Knockdown won |
1.3 |
1 |
|
Ideas made |
1.1 |
0.5 |
|
Statistics with FBref |
||
Although he only managed to pass 90 a bit, Ward-Prowse achieved a high level of passing, winning many tackles – showing his best qualities as a box-to-box midfielder.
However, the most important thing for him is his ability to set up, as the 29-year-old scored 17 free-kicks in the Premier League – second in history, just one behind the legendary David Beckham.
The Reds have struggled with their set-pieces in recent times, scoring the fourth-lowest number of goals from corners and free-kicks last season – managing just seven during the campaign.
Should he move to the East Midlands, Ward-Prowse would be an excellent addition and would improve the options available to Nuno in the midfield department.
He could link up well with Gibbs-White, providing more ammunition for the attacking midfielder to improve on his goal scoring prowess from last season – while also adding a different dimension to attacking positions with his ability to cause problems with his quality in dead ball situations. .
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