Nuno Espirito Santo can occasionally be a man of few words, but one that he has utilised more frequently than others in his time as Nottingham Forest head coach is “unbalanced”.
Since his appointment last December, the Nuno has frequently highlighted the lack of balance within the squad he inherited from Steve Cooper.
This summer, the Forest hierarchy have addressed that issue, with seven new additions (including Ramon Sosa), all of whom will bring something different. The work to bolster the squad further will continue until deadline day, August 30, with the club still craving a goalkeeper, a full-back and another forward in particular.
But, in the meantime, there is one area of the pitch where Forest look particularly strong, and where the biggest problem facing Nuno might actually be deciding how to make the most of the resources at his disposal: the midfield.
Nuno intends to continue with a 4-2-3-1 formation. It is an approach that, in theory, can become more attack-minded or more defensive, depending on the personnel involved.
With this summer’s addition of Elliot Andersonfrom Newcastle United, Nuno has a versatile option who can play in three different roles, while not having to cash in on one of their biggest assets, Morgan Gibbs-White, for profitability and sustainability rule (PSR) reasons, has been another significant boost, leaving Forest with a player who can operate in any of the five midfield positions.
And, in Ibrahim Sangare, Forest also still have a player who they are convinced is capable of having a huge influence in the middle, following an up-and-down 2023-24 debut season. With Ryan Yates, Nico Dominguez and Danilo all also fighting it out for those midfield spots, it leaves Nuno with a hugely positive problem to solve.
So, before Bournemouth’s visit for the clubs’ 2024-25 Premier League opener today (Saturday), how does the Forest boss make sense of his myriad midfield options, and who are the best choices to play as that deeper-lying pair?