It was a sensational season for Nottingham Forest until now.
The men in Garibaldi red are flying, and right now ranks third in the Premier League with 44 points to their name, as many as Arsenal, who are second only by goal difference. Liverpool are the only club with more points and are six points ahead of Forest at the top of the table.
Momentum is the key in the race for the top four, in which Forest can now certainly be considered. Nuno Espirito Santo’s the sides are now gone undefeated in nine games in various competitions and appear to be well placed to secure shock Champions League qualification.
In order to maintain that momentum, they could enter the transfer market and have been linked with attacking reinforcements, notably Yoanne Wiss.
On Tuesday, it was announced that the club has submitted a bid for the Brentford striker but he is not the only player on their radar before the end of the month.
Nottingham Forest are targeting attacking depth
The player in question is the attacking midfielder of Villarreal and the Spanish national team, Alex Baena. The 23-year-old has been impressive once again this term for the Yellow Submarine, and could now leave the club as early as January.
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According to reports from SpainForest is one of the teams waiting to be selected for the winner of Euro 2024, perhaps as early as January. The report suggests they have ‘shown a clear interest’ in bringing him in.
However, the East Midlands side are not alone in the race for the Villarreal star, who has a £51million buyout clause. They are reportedly ‘ready’ to trigger that exit clause, but face competition from fellow Premier League and top four rivals Newcastle United, as well as German giants Bayern Munich.
Why Baena would be a better signing than Yoanna Wiss
This was a great 2024/25 campaign. for Baena in that famous yellow Villarreal jersey. He has five goals and five assists in 18 top matches for LaLiga this term, including two assists in one game against Espanyol.
Villarreal’s number 16 has been described as a “difference maker” Spanish football journalist Gonzalo Rodriguezwhich certainly rings true when you consider the fact that he has only scored one goal in a loss this season. He is also incredibly consistent and has only gone a maximum of four games without a goal or assist in this span.
Baena’s stats via FBref over the past year compared to other midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues are, simply put, outstanding. He ranks highly across many creative metrics, showing the impact he can have on his side in the final third.
For example, the Spanish attacking midfielder, who won Euro 2024 and Olympic gold last year, ranks in the top 1% of midfielders according to several key metrics. This includes key passes, which he plays an average of 3.47 per game, and shot creation actions, which he averages 5.96 per 90 minutes.
|
Baena’s creative statistics for the last 365 days |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Statistics (90 each) |
Number |
Percentile |
|
Key passages |
3.47 |
99 |
|
Assists |
0.45 |
99 |
|
Expected assists |
0.41xA |
99 |
|
Throws into the penalty area |
2.42 |
99 |
|
Actions to create a shot |
5.96 |
99 |
|
Statistics from FBref |
||
If the stats are anything to go by, Baena’s impact on the Forest squad will be monumental. He could be the man to help steer the two-time European champions towards the promised land of the Champions League.
Shot creation actions are the parts of the game that lead to a shot. This includes moments such as passing, receiving or drawing fouls.
However, if he is to sign for Forest for around £50m, the question is whether it is still worth it to the East Midlands club to sign the aforementioned Wiss from Brentford. Apparently they had £22m offer rejected for the forward, but could return for him.
Wissa has been fantastic for the Bees this term, with 11 goals in 19 Premier League games. However, it is no more than Chris Wood, with the Forest striker currently in the position 14 goals from 22 appearancesand showing no signs of stopping.
With that in mind, if it’s Wissa or Baena, perhaps increasing Wood’s goalscoring bid and signing the Spaniard is a better investment.
The money being spent on the Brentford star could instead be reinvested in bringing in someone who is an elite creator and will improve Wood’s output even more.
It remains to be seen which signing Forest will make, but perhaps spending that much money on someone who is statistically one of the best creators on the continent could be a better investment as the club look to establish themselves as a genuine top four contender.
