Football is a simple game; put the ball in one end, keep it out of the other. Nottingham Forest were not particularly good at either last season. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side finished the campaign with fourth-lowest tally of goals scored and joint-fifth highest number of goals conceded in the entire Premier League. Their final goal difference of -18 was only worsened by the three clubs who finished beneath them – in the relegation zone.
This summer will, therefore, be a crucial one for Forest, and one further complicated by the looming spectre of Profit and Sustainability Rules. The common consensus is that, in an effort to avoid a repeat of the kind of punishments that were handed down to them earlier in the year, the club are likely to be forced into one or more high profile sales over the coming months. Morgan Gibbs-White, Callum Hudson-Odoi, and Murillo have all been touted as prospective departures, with dizzying fees attached.
Forest will, however, also need to figure out how to strike a balance between their writing and their on-field goals. Thus, for a team that was heavily involved in a struggle for survival until the last week of the premier league season, recruiting will remain crucial.
Thus, we arrive to Morato. The Benfica defender has been mentioned as a target at the City Ground for some time. It is claimed that Forest made one unsuccessful attempt to acquire the player back in January, with a deal estimated to be worth roughly £25.6 million.
Although Benfica was not willing to sell at the time, a story published more recently by the Portuguese publication Jornal de Notícias implies that the 22-year-old’s future in Lisbon is “uncertain.” Because of this, the Eagles might be open to changing their minds this summer, and Forest might get the chance to pique their interest once more.
The physically intimidating defender, who was once a center-back but is now more frequently used on the left side of a back four, has played 35 games for his current team in all competitions, including five Champions League appearances. With his hard tackle and possession skills, Morato seems like the kind of defensive reinforcement that a team like Forest might really use. In fact, according to statistics experts Whoscored, his 6.84 average match rating from the previous season would have placed him third in Nuno’s lineup, behind only Gibbs-White and Willy Boly.
There may be fierce competition for his signature: Fulham, a Premier League team, is rumored to have made an offer earlier this year, though it was not as good as Forest’s. Nevertheless, as of this writing, it is stated that Benfica has received no further bids to evaluate.
It’s unclear if this is a result of Craven Cottage’s decreasing interest in the player, or just the recent development, but the fact remains that Forest has a chance to resume their pursuit of a player who could potentially help them overcome their defensive shortcomings. Without a doubt, they ought to act if finances allow.
