Making sense of Nottingham Forest's pursuit of Houssem Aouar

 

In what is perhaps the understatement of the window, Nottingham Forest have been busy this summer. Steve Cooper's side have already made 15 new signings, Remo Freuler joining from Atalanta after Sunday's 1-0 win over West Ham, though the huge investment has been down to necessity rather than an urge to splash the cash having lost a number of first teamers at the end of the season and a desire to improve the strength in depth. 

 

Nevertheless, Forest don't look to be done in the market if reports of further moves are to be believed. Despite bringing in Emmanuel Dennis and Taiwo Awoniyi, Neal Maupay is set to come in to boost the striking ranks at the City Ground, while the arrivals of central midfielders Orel Mangala and Lewis O'Brien haven't stopped Forest's pursuit to bolster in a key area. 

 

Forest are believed to have submitted a bid for Eintracht Frankfurt's Djibril Sow to add some steel in the middle of the park, but the potential eye catching addition is Houssem Aouar. If Forest are able to get a deal for the Frenchman over the line, then it is a coup to say the least. 

 

While Aouar has dropped off the radar somewhat after breaking onto the scene, he has still been courted by north London pair Arsenal and Tottenham in recent windows. The 24-year-old was the unfortunate victim of Anthony Lopes' red card in Lyon's opening weekend 2-1 win over Ajaccio, the midfielder subbed off for backup shotstopper Remy Riou, while OL's meeting with Lorient was postponed over the weekend owing to an unsafe pitch. 

 

Could he have already played his final game for the French giants? What stands out most about Aouar is his ball carrying ability, something that will be found wanting at the City Ground this season unless signings are made. In the Championship last season, Forest's top four ball carriers were Djed Spence (74), Philip Zinckernagel (66), Brennan Johnson (56) and Keinan Davis (44). 

 

Of those four, only Johnson remains at the City Ground with Spence, Zinckernagel and Davis only at the club on loan. The trio may operate in different roles to Aouar, but in the Premier League, a driving force from midfield can prove crucial. While the most successful dribbles metric in the Premier League since the start of last season is dominated by wingers and forwards, in terms of dribble success rate, eight of the top 10 players are central midfielders. 

 

 

Aouar (241), to his credit, ranks second to Teji Savanier (244) of central midfielders for successful dribbles since the start of the 2018/19 Ligue 1 season, that placing fifth overall, so he is a capable ball carrier. The issue is that Aouar's success rate does flatter to deceive. Indeed, the France international has been successful with just 57.4% of his attempted dribbles over the same period. 

 

For additional context, Scott McTominay (76%) has the best dribble success rate of central midfielders since the start of the 2021/22 Premier League campaign. Turning a negative into a positive for Aouar, though, this merely goes to highlight his determination to get the better of an opponent. He may fail in his task, however he doesn't allow this to impact his confidence, and this mental toughness has stood him in good stead so far. 

 

What's crucial for Forest, though, is that he offers Cooper tactical alternatives in the middle of the park. Summer signing Orel Mangala may a handy ball carrier when required, but he doesn't offer as much as Aouar in the final third. A player to bring the ball forward from deep to help Forest swarm opponents will be an added bonus for the club, while the flexibility to his game means Cooper would have a player who can play in either of the two central midfield roles or in the number 10 role that Jesse Lingard has occupied in Forest's opening two league games. 

 

Furthermore, Aouar is able to play on the left flank and while Forest have an abundance of left wing-backs, a player of the Frenchman's calibre at Cooper's disposal would enable the team to switch formation in-play should the need arise. Cooper is expected to remain loyal to his three-man defensive setup and for good reason given the success it has brought Forest following his appointment, but the option would be there to aid the Premier League side. 

 

What's clear is that Forest aren't settling for what they have in the current market. There will be more incomings before the transfer window closes at the end of the month, but if they are able to get a deal for Aouar over the line in the coming days, then he's a statement capture that would fill a void in the current Forest squad and one that adds a touch of quality to Cooper's side.

Making sense of Nottingham Forest's pursuit of Houssem Aouar