With the Premier League campaign fast approaching, Nottingham Forest are still in the market for a midfielder to replace Elliot Anderson.
The England international swapped the City Ground for a move to Manchester City earlier this summer in a move that saw the Trick Trees pocket an eye-watering £116m.
It’s a lot of money to invest, but that doesn’t mean it’s been easy to spend. Forest have been rebuffed in pursuit of players like Lucas Bergvall and now find themselves on the hunt for Tijjani Reijnders.
|
25/26 Premier League stats |
Tijjani Reijnders |
Elliot Anderson |
|---|---|---|
|
Minutes |
1,636 |
3,334 |
|
Goals |
5 |
4 |
|
Chances created per 90 |
2.24 |
1.46 |
|
Recoveries per 90 |
4.03 |
8.26 |
|
Pass success |
82.3% |
85.5% |
The numbers expose the extent of the task on Forest’s hands. As talented as Reijnders is in possession, he cannot complete the work that Anderson does off the ball. The latter completed double the amount of recoveries as the Man City man per 90 last season. Reijnders wouldn’t come close to replicating that in the Midlands.
What the Dutchman could do is bring that added goal threat. He created more chances per game than the man he may replace last season and scored one more goal in fewer minutes.
After joining Man City in a deal worth around £47m last summer and initially enjoying an excellent start, Reijnders quickly lost his place amid the clear quality around him. Pep Guardiola, as he often does in a title race, stuck to those that he trusts both in and out of possession. Reijnders was not among those players.
Whether things change under Enzo Maresca remains to be seen. The midfielder may not stick around to find out amid interest from Forest.
Nottingham Forest eyeing Tijjani Reijnders move
According to Fabrizio Romano, Nottingham Forest are showing interest in Reijnders as they look to welcome more reinforcements. The Man City midfielder lost his place last season and could be on the move before the new campaign gets underway.
Any move is still in very early stages, but the Dutchman is one to watch. Man City, themselves, are on the hunt for a midfielder in the form of Ayyoub Bouaddi and that would do nothing to improve Reijnders’ game time.
“Yeah, we knew that he is a special player arriving into the box,” Guardiola explained. He loves to do that. People in Italy know him perfectly [after his time at AC Milan]. He scored two goals and he made a fantastic performance like the rest of his teammates.” – Guardiola on Reijnders
Man City and Forest have already done business once this summer and could be back to the negotiating table for a second time in the near future.