Despite a well-publicised spat between Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo, owner Evangelos Marinakis and Head of Football Edu over the past weeks, a number of new players have arrived at the City Ground.
The Midlands giants look set to bolster their squad in the coming days as they have entered talks to sign one of the most highly-regarded left-backs in the Championship.
Nottingham Forest Enter Talks With Leicester City Over Victor Kristiansen
As per Fabrizio Romano, Forest have entered “club to club” talks over a deal to sign 22-year-old left-back Victor Kristiansen. The Italian journalist also revealed that a potential deal for Atletico Madrid full-back Nahuel Molina is currently off the table.
Kristiansen came through the youth ranks at his hometown club, FC Copenhagen, and made his debut for the first team in the 2020/21 campaign as a teenager.
The young defender thoroughly impressed during the following season, making four assists in 21 league games to help Copenhagen win the Danish Superliga.
After scoring his first goal in senior football in the first half of the 2022/23 season, the left-back moved to England in January 2023 with Leicester City.
Although his energy and tenacity impressed fans during the final weeks of the campaign, it was not enough to help the Foxes retain their Premier League status.
During the 2023/24 season Kristiansen, became an important part of Thiago Motta’s impressive Bologna team which managed to finish in fifth place in Serie A despite having a lower budget than their competitors.
Last campaign, the Danish international played regularly in the Premier League, though Leicester were once again relegated.
This spell was slightly less impressive than his first stint in the top flight, though he still ranked favourably in terms of interceptions, tackles won and cross accuracy.
Where Will He Fit In At Forest?
Kristiansen will add much-needed squad depth to Espirito Santo’s side as they head into European competition this campaign.
Currently, Forest’s only senior left-back is Neco Williams, as Harry Toffolo left the club on a free transfer this summer, and Alex Moreno was not brought back to the City Ground after his loan deal ended.
Although Omar Richards, who played 26 games in the Portuguese top flight for Rio Ave last season, is still at the club, he only played a fleeting role during preseason and has most recently played for Forest’s academy team, showing that he is not trusted by Espirito Santo.
Kristiansen plays with an abundance of energy, aggression and passion. Even though he may be a slightly limited player in other respects, these characteristics will be vital for Forest during a season which will contain a lot more games than many players are used to, and, at 22 years of age, he still has plenty of time to develop.
It will be interesting to see what sort of fee Leicester demand for the Dane now that they have lost another star full-back, James Justin, to the Premier League.