Nottingham Forest news: Can Reds emulate Leicester by winning Premier League?
On February 1 last year, Forest announced the signing of Mats Sayers from French Ligue 1 team Strasbourg for approximately £5 million.
Matt Turner joined from Arsenal last summer for £10m, while Forest also bought Benfica’s Odysseas Vlachodimos.
Turner made 21 appearances in all competitions and Vlahodemos seven before Nuno moved on to Sales, replacing Steve Cooper in December 2023.
The Belgian new signing kept just one clean sheet against West Ham and conceded 27 times as Forest survived.
However, with Milenkovic and Morato joining the backline in the summer, along with the impressive Brazilian Murillo at City Stadium, they now have one of the tightest back lines.
“For the long term, Forest would do well to keep Murillo. He’s an unbelievable young player,” Morgan said. Morgan is now a national scout for Forest and played more than 400 games for the Reds before moving to Leicester.
“The presence of Milenkovic complemented him. The positioning between the two players was good and I think that is the key to a successful defence.”
Morgan linked this to his partnership with Robert Huth at Leicester City, adding: “The chemistry between myself and Robert Huth, we can play with our eyes closed and I know exactly where he will be. . Same goes for Murillo and Milenkovic.
A defensive line-up that included Sales, Ola Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato and Neco Williams cost Forest more than £50 million.
Like Liverpool, Forest have conceded just 19 goals in 20 games – only Arsenal have conceded fewer.
“The league is not over yet, we want to ensure that the number of clean sheets continues to increase,” Morato said, stressing the determination within the team, which has completed the most clearances in the league this season (563). .
Sales faced 259 shots, level with Crystal Palace’s Dean Henderson and only behind Brentford’s Mark Flecken (342) and Leicester City’s Mads He Manson (287).
Not all of the shots were on target, but Searles kept busy and performed well. His save rate of 75.3% is the highest among goalkeepers in the Premier League who have played more than 500 minutes.
The expected goals against Forest this season is 21.7, also behind only Liverpool and Arsenal.
Searles’ impact was immediate. Since February 1, Forest have conceded 46 goals in the Premier League, second only to Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool.
