After weeks of conflicting information and continuous talks, Nottingham Forest appear to have finally secured their top centre-back target in Ousmane Diomande.
It was confirmed on Saturday afternoon that the Reds had agreed a £34m deal with Sporting CP for the Ivorian international, who travelled to the East Midlands to complete his medical on Sunday.
Only the formalities of the deal now need to be completed before the 22-year-old can officially be unveiled as Oliver Glasner’s second arrival of the summer.
However, the Austrian will undoubtedly be thinking of the next potential signing, which could see the hierarchy finally replace one of the club’s most influential players from 2025/26.
How Nottingham Forest’s midfield could line up under Glasner in 2026/27
Selling Elliot Anderson this summer seemed inevitable for Forest, but owner Evangelos Marinakis desperately wanted to get the best fee possible for the England international.
The 23-year-old eventually completed a £116m deal to join Manchester City earlier this summer, handing Glasner key funds to work with to improve the Reds’ senior ranks.
He’s already brought in key top-level experience this summer, with compatriot and former player Xaver Schlager already linking up with the manager at the City Ground.
Given his previous time working under Glasner at Wolfsburg, he will likely be a key figure at the heart of the side, with Ibrahim Sangaré another talent who deserves a starting role.
|
Most PL mins played by Forest midfielders (2025/26) |
|
|---|---|
|
Player |
Tally |
|
Elliot Anderson |
3334 |
|
Morgan Gibbs-White |
3110 |
|
Ibrahim Sangaré |
2080 |
|
Nicolas Dominguez |
1175 |
|
Ryan Yates |
604 |
|
James McAtee |
289 |
The Ivorian penned a new deal in the East Midlands a couple of weeks ago, which could see him star alongside international teammate Diomande within the manager’s 3-4-2-1 system.
Nicolas Dominguez and Ryan Yates were two players who operated as squad players last term, and will likely have to bide their time for regular starts throughout the campaign.
However, a wildcard option has also been thrown into the mix over recent weeks, with attacking midfielder James McAtee starting in a deep-lying role during numerous pre-season clashes.
How Nottingham Forest can land their next Anderson this summer
Despite the plethora of options currently available to Glasner at present, he will no doubt want added quality injected into such a department to help cope with the loss of Anderson.
Tottenham Hotspur star Lucas Bergvall has continuously been linked with a move to the City Ground, but his current £60m asking price is proving to be a sticking point.
As a result, other targets are now being considered by the recruitment team before the window closes, with Celtic star Arne Engels once again appearing on their radar.
It’s been reported by Football Insider that Forest are set to ramp up a move for the Belgian midfielder amid recent interest from Championship side West Ham United.
They also claim the Scottish outfit would allow the 22-year-old to depart this summer, but would be looking to recoup at least £25m in any sale during the weeks ahead.
Engels was a player the Reds made three offers for back in January, but it appears as though Glasner’s men will be targeting another bid before the window closes.
Whilst the youngster may not be many fans’ first choice to replace the recently departed Anderson, his stats from last season showcase how he can be the Reds’ next version of the Englishman.
The Celtic man has developed into a superb ball-playing midfielder in recent years, as seen by his 84% pass completion rate and tally of 1.9 chances created per 90 last term.
Both of the aforementioned figures are similar to what the £116m man achieved last campaign – which could see Glasner’s side land a needed base in front of the backline.
His subsequent chance creation tally ranked highly amongst other players in Europe, with only 12% of midfielders able to provide more opportunities to their teammates than Engels.
Even without the ball, the Belgian demonstrated glimpses of his quality, subsequently winning 1.4 tackles per 90 and only being dribbled past 12 times in his 30 league outings.
The latter of the two figures also saw him rank highly compared to others in his position – with Engels bettering 78% of players in such a department.
There’s no denying there is a huge gulf in quality between the Scottish Premiership and England’s top-flight, but the Celtic star is a player who could make the jump and be a success.
He will no doubt have huge boots to fill given Anderson’s impact, but should he emulate his levels at the City Ground, there’s no reason why he can’t be a hit with the fans and turn into a £60m+ player.
