It has been a busy summer for Nottingham Forest so far, although not in the way they, nor their fans, might have expected. Earlier in the window, they lost one of their key attackers, Anthony Elanga. The Swedish star made the move up north to Newcastle for a fee of £55m.
They also came close to losing star midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White. He was subject to a bid from Tottenham Hotspur, in what was reportedly a £60m deal. He was scheduled to have a medical in North London, but the deal fell through and the England international has since signed a contract extension.
It seems as though the East Midlands side might now look to recruit someone this summer, and have been strongly linked with a former Premier League star.
Forest’s latest target
It has certainly been a hectic few weeks for those at the City Ground, losing one and almost two key attackers. However, it does seem like they are working on signing depth out wide, if recent reports are to be believed.
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According to a recent briefing from David Ornstein, Forest are firmly in the race for Ipswich Town and England under-21 international Omari Hutchinson. The Athletic journalist reported on Wednesday that talks are ‘ongoing’ between the two clubs.
Indeed, Forest actually placed a bid for the winger, but their £35m offer was not deemed enough for the Tractor Boys, who rejected the bid.
Ornstein says it would need a ‘higher fee’ for Ipswich to sell one of their key players. Forest are not alone in this race, with Brentford also interested in a deal.
Why Hutchinson would be a good signing
At just 21 years of age, Hutchinson has shown great promise for the Tractor Boys in the Championship and the Premier League. He initially spent time on loan at the club before moving permanently last summer from Chelsea. He is a graduate of their academy, having also represented Arsenal as a youth player.
The versatile attacker has made 82 appearances for the first team at Portman Road, scoring 14 times and grabbing eight assists. His stats from Sofascore in the Championship and Premier League show just how well he has performed.
For example, Hutchinson averaged 1.6 key passes in the second tier and 1.1 in the top flight for Ipswich per 90 minutes.
Key passes
1.6
1.1
Big chances created
0.3
0.2
Dribbles completed
2.1
1.8
Passes completed
24
23.1
Tackles and interceptions
2.8
1.5
Expected goal involvements
0.43xGI
0.18xGI
Over the summer, the former Chelsea and Arsenal academy star was part of England’s successful under-21 European Championship-winning side.
Hutchinson played in all six of the Three Lions’ matches, assisting once and scoring this well-taken effort in the final against Germany.
When looking at this deal, it may remind Forest fans of a past signing, that of Callum Hudson-Odoi. The pair share a fairly similar career path, with the Forest winger, who has recently swapped to wear the number seven, also coming through the Chelsea academy.
Like Hutchinson, he is a graduate of the esteemed Cobham academy, and also went on loan before securing a permanent move away.
Fans at the City Ground will remember his contributions last season fondly. The 24-year-old, who was born in London, bagged five goals and assisted eight in the Premier League, including a memorable winner in a 1-0 victory over Liverpool.
It is not only the early career paths of each player which is so similar, and suggest Hutchinson could become the second coming of Hudson-Odoi. Their versatility also stands out and is a real feature of their respective games.
The Ipswich star can operate on either flank or as a number 10, which he has done 32 times for the Tractor Boys. As for his potential new teammate, Hudson-Odoi can also play on either wing and has been known to play behind the striker, too, which he did at times last season.
How Forest fans would love for Hutchinson to become the new version of Hudson-Odoi. Both versatile attackers and Cobham graduates, they offer tactical flexibility to Nuno Espirito Santo and quality on the ball.
Described as an “outstanding” player by football scout Antonio Mango, Forest fans would surely love to see Hutchinson line up alongside Hudson-Odoi in Garibaldi Red next season at the City Ground.
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