Nottingham Forest are reportedly rivalling Millwall to the potential signing of Groningen defensive midfielder Ahmed El Messaoudi, according to Belgian media outlet GVA.

Spanish side Granada, and Saudi's Al-Hazem are also believed to be keen on striking an agreement to sign El Messaoudi ahead of the 2021/22 league campaign.

El Messaoudi has been with Groningen since 2019, having previously been on the books with the likes of K.V. Mechelen and Lierse S.K. earlier in his professional career.

He has caught the eye with some strong performances for the Dutch side, and chipped in with eight goals and two assists from his 30 appearances in the 2020/21 season.

Nottingham Forest will be hoping they can challenge higher up the Championship table next season, after a frustrating league campaign under the management of Chris Hughton this term.

The Reds finished 17th in this year's campaign, and narrowly avoided relegation into the third tier of English football, which will have come as a real relief to the club's supporters.

Forest are set to take on Coventry City at the Ricoh Arena on the opening day of the new Championship season, which is set to get underway on Saturday 7th August.

 

 

The Verdict: 

He could be worth a punt for Nottingham Forest.

With James Garner returning to Manchester United from his loan spell at the City Ground, it leaves Chris Hughton with a sizeable void to fill ahead of the new league campaign.

El Messaoudi could be the answer to that problem, and it'll be interesting to see whether Forest can fend off interest from the likes of Millwall to land his signature this summer.

Additional depth is certainly needed for Nottingham Forest heading into the new season, and he could turn out to be a solid addition to the Reds' team, although there might be some concerns about how he'd adjust to English football, having not played at this level before in his career.