Nottingham Forest need to sign a new midfielder this summer, with England star Elliot Anderson joining Manchester City in a £116m deal.
Towards the end of June, reporter Nick Mashiter revealed the names of two midfielders Forest could look to bring in as a replacement for Anderson, saying: “Tottenham’s Lucas Bergvall is on Forest’s list, along with Davide Frattesi of Inter Milan.
“James McAtee had a difficult season, with just two Premier League starts, but he is highly thought of by the coaching staff. He has been doing extra work this summer and will come back for pre-season in peak condition.”
Interestingly, it has since emerged that Tottenham Hotspur are willing to sell the Swedish midfielder for £50m this summer, after he made it clear he wants to leave.
Spurs have already strengthened their own midfield by signing Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes, which could push Bergvall further down the pecking order.
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Football FanCast’s Verdict |
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Credibility |
Forest definitely need to sign a midfielder this summer, as Anderson’s departure has left a major hole in the side. Last season, the 23-year-old featured in every single Premier League match, picking up four goals and four assists. |
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Finances |
The Tricky Trees raised a whopping £116m by selling the England international, which means they should have the money to make a number of high-profile signings. However, signing Bergvall could be costly, with Spurs setting a £50m asking price. |
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Insight |
Former Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is among the 20-year-old’s admirers, saying: “Every time he has the ball and runs, he is unstoppable.” Last season, he picked up one goal and three assists in 23 Premier League matches. |
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Impact |
Should Forest be able to complete a deal for the youngster, they may scrap plans to sign alternative target Curtis Jones, with Liverpool demanding around £40m for the Englishman. |
Nottingham Forest “working hard” to sign Lucas Bergvall
Speaking to Football Insider, former scout Mick Brown has shared an update on Oliver Glasner‘s side’s search for a new midfielder.
“Nottingham Forest are now looking for replacements for Elliot Anderson.
“It’s going to be difficult to replace him, it always is when you sell your best player, but there are a few players they’re already looking at who could come in and replace him. Lucas Bergvall has been spoken about, but it will depend whether he’s willing to make the move to Forest when they’re not playing in Europe.
“They want to be optimistic, but it’s hard when you haven’t got much to offer players in terms of their position in the Premier League after they were battling relegation. But they’ll be working hard to convince him and some of their other targets that he can come in and make a real difference as part of their ambitious plans.”
Why Lucas Bergvall could be a risky Elliot Anderson replacement
Anderson played a key role in Forest avoiding relegation last season, creating 54 chances, the highest number in the squad, while also coming out on top in terms of defensive contributions per 90, averaging 13.9.
As such, the Englishman evidently made a real impact at both ends of the pitch, whereas Bergvall created just five chances for Spurs, as a result of featuring for just 966 minutes in the Premier League.
The Swedish youngster also averaged just 7.3 defensive contributions per 90, a figure that pales in comparison to the number Anderson managed at Forest.
Of course, Bergvall is still very young and has plenty of time to develop further, but the current indications are that he wouldn’t be a ready-made replacement for Anderson.
