Ange must now unleash Nottingham Forest star who “spelt the end for Nuno
Nottingham Forest has had a really difficult week. Nuno Espirito Santo, the manager of the East Midlands team, was
fired after almost 18 months in charge at the City Ground. Ange Postecoglou, the former manager of Tottenham
Hotspur, has already been appointed as his replacement.
However, when Edu was named the club’s sporting director, “the writing was on the wall,” according to Sky Sports
reporter Rob Dorsett. As they have done under owner Evangelos Marinakis, Forest also spent a lot of money
throughout the summer, expanding their team and spending freely.
It was certainly a surprise when one of those signings, Omari Hutchinson, was omitted from the Europa League
squad.
Hutchinson’s time at Forest so far
England under-21 international Hutchinson made the move to the City Ground from Ipswich Town, who were
relegated at the end of last season. He cost the East Midlands side a club-record fee of £37.5m and signed a five-year
contract.
The 21-year-old has only made two brief outings in Nuno’s first two games. He played one minute in the 3-0 loss to
West Ham United at home, and he made his debut in an eight-minute cameo against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
On the surface, it seems odd that Hutchinson hasn’t played much football for Forest. You could have expected him to
play more than nine minutes in two games, even if he is not match-fit and ready to start. He scored in the final and
was a vital member of the England under-21 team’s winning European Championship campaign.
The forward’s exclusion from the Europa League roster is even more bizarre. “Nottingham Forest convincing Omari
Hutchinson to come play for that football club, European football would have been a part of it,” Charlie Austin stated
on Sky Sports, so it’s odd that he was left out.
Whether Postecoglou releases Hutchinson early in his reign will be interesting to see. Nuno did not play, but the
Australian boss can decide to use another player.
The Forest outcast Postecoglou could now unleash
For Forest, it was undoubtedly a busy summer. There will be some disgruntled members of that team given the
number of new players signed to wear Garibaldi Red this season, but one player’s absence of participation has
surprised everyone.
Douglas Luiz, a 27-year-old midfielder, joined from Juventus in the offseason. He joined the Nottingham team on a
season-long loan from the Old Lady, with the understanding that they would purchase him at the end of the season if
certain requirements were fulfilled.
Luiz hasn’t played as much as Hutchinson, though. For the two games in which he has been available, the former
Aston Villa midfielder was not utilised as a replacement. Journalist Alex Crook of talkSPORT was taken aback by the
decision, stating that it “spelt the end for Nuno” at Forest.
The Brazilian hasn’t played much at Forest, which is odd. His tenure at Villa Park demonstrated his skill as a Premier
League player. He played as a number eight, number six, and game-controlling player in 204 games with the Villans,
scoring 22 goals and dishing out 24 assists.
The tenacity shown in the video above from 2023/24 is exactly what he can bring to the Forest midfield.
His underlying numbers from that campaign are impressive, with the Brazilian having a 60% take-on success rate
and winning 4.5 duels per 90 minutes.
| Douglas Luiz key stats 2023/24 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Stat | Per 90 mins | Season total |
| Chances created | 1.6 | 53 |
| Forward passes | 12.5 | 415 |
| Take-on success | 60% | 60% |
| Duels won | 4.5 | 148 |
| Ball recoveries | 5.6 | 184 |
| Stats from Squawka | ||
Nuno’s decision to not field Luiz this season is undoubtedly difficult to comprehend. He is a midfield player
Postecoglou can rely on, though, because of the skill he can offer with the ball and his drive when he is not in
possession.
It will be interesting to watch if Forest’s new manager provides Luiz minutes when they play Arsenal on the road
next. He will undoubtedly want to steer clear of some of the errors Nuno made in the latter part of his term.
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