Nottingham Forest supporters have become accustomed to constant managerial changes over recent years, with Oliver Glasner becoming the fifth boss to take the reins in the last 12 months.
His pedigree of winning trophies throughout his career was no doubt a huge factor in Evangelos Marinakis sacking Vitor Pereira and replacing him with the Austrian.
The 51-year-old will certainly want to add to his impressive CV during his time in charge at the City Ground, but he will no doubt need to be backed in the transfer market.
However, it appears as though the ambitious Mr Marinakis has once again got his chequebook out to secure the services of one of Europe’s most in-demand talents.
How Ousmane Diomande will fit Glasner’s three-back system at Forest
On Tuesday afternoon, it was reported Nottingham Forest were advancing a deal to land centre-back Ousmane Diomande from Sporting CP for a reported £32m including add-ons.
The Ivorian, who’s previously been linked with Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United, has approved the move, with the Portuguese side already agreeing a deal for a replacement.
Given the mammoth fee, the Reds faithful are no doubt starting to get excited about the possible deal, but what can he offer Glasner’s back-three system?
The 22-year-old has experience operating in a back three – most notably during Ruben Amorim’s tenure at Sporting. He also featured in a back four under Rui Borges last season – making 31 appearances in all competitions.
|
Ousmane Diomande – UCL stats (2025/26) |
|
|---|---|
|
Statistics (per 90) |
Tally |
|
Games played |
9 |
|
Goals scored |
1 |
|
Minutes played |
614 |
|
Pass accuracy |
94% |
|
Aerial duels won |
67% |
|
Defensive contributions |
7.5 |
|
Tackles won |
1.2 |
|
Fouls committed |
0.2 |
Diomande made nine appearances in the Champions League last campaign, subsequently winning 2.1 aerial duels per 90 at a success rate of 67%.
He was only dribbled past on six occasions during the recent campaign in the Liga Portugal, with only 11% of take-ons against him being completed – highlighting his incredible 1v1 defending ability.
The youngster has also gained a reputation for his tremendous passing ability, which saw him complete 94% of the passes he attempted – bettering 88% of defenders in that aspect.
How Forest can pull off a bigger coup than Diomande
A move for Diomande will see Forest land the perfect right-sided option for Glasner’s system – with the Austrian previously trying to land him during his time at Crystal Palace.
The centre-back trio of Murillo, Nikola Milenkovic and the Ivorian is undoubtedly one of the strongest in the division and hands the manager the perfect foundation to build on.
However, attention will quickly shift to other areas of the pitch – with the central midfield department one that needs to be bolstered, which has seen interest arise in the services of Lucas Bergvall.
It’s been reported by The Athletic in recent days that talks are continuing with Tottenham Hotspur over the possibility of a deal for the Sweden international.
They claim that Roberto De Zerbi’s side are demanding at least £60m to offload the 20-year-old this summer, but the player himself is open to a move to the City Ground.
Such a figure would blow the club-record figure out of the water, but it could see Glasner’s men land a player who can star at the heart of the side for the immediate and long-term future.
Diomande would be a superb addition this summer, but a deal for Bergvall would see the club land a Premier League-proven option and one who’s starred more than most in such a division.
The Swedish international featured 23 times in England’s top-flight last campaign and managed to complete a staggering 63% of the dribbles he attempted.
The aforementioned figure ranked him in the top 6% of all midfielders in the division, subsequently highlighting his ability to drive with the ball into dangerous areas of the pitch.
Bergvall also managed to register three assists within his 11 league starts in 2025/26 – a tally which saw him rank above 86% of other players in his position across Europe.
Even without the ball, the youngster managed to catch the eye, subsequently making 2.1 successful tackles and registering 7.3 defensive contributions per 90.
Such talent with and without the ball could make him the perfect Elliot Anderson replacement – something which has been a priority since his £116m move to Manchester City.
Landing a player who can fill that void even 50% as well as the Englishman has left it would be a superb piece of business – something which Bergvall would certainly manage at the City Ground.
£60m on the 20-year-old may be seen as a risk, but it could yet prove to be a bargain if he continues his phenomenal development upon any move to the East Midlands.
As for Diomande, his proposed move to Forest appears to be edging closer, but his deal could be trumped if Marinakis reaches an agreement with Spurs in the weeks ahead.
