'Can't believe they got him': Nottingham Forest's £12m deal leaves expert stunned, says 'what a good player'
What an impact he's made...
Nottingham Forest are no strangers to pulling off signings many felt may be beyond a club who have spent much of the last two years battling relegation from the Premier League.
Ibrahim Sangare and Murillo were linked with other, more established clubs before arriving at the City Ground.
Moussa Niakhate was a Bundesliga captain at Mainz, Jota Silva a Portugal international, and Nicolas Dominguez one of the rising midfield talents of Serie A.
But, even by Nottingham Forest’s ambitious transfer market standards, the deal which meant Nikola Milenkovic swapped Fiorentina for the Premier League feels like a coup for the ages. A bargain which belongs amongst the very best in Forest’s storied history.
The £12 million acquisition had already proven himself to be a mighty presence in one box. But, as Nottingham Forest won at Old Trafford mere months after delivering Arne Slot’s first and so far only Anfield defeat, Nikola Milenkovic put his towering frame and granite-like forehead to very good use at the other end of the pitch.
With 17 Serie A goals, Milenkovic was a fairly regular fixture on the scoresheet at Fiorentina. For a centre-half, that is.
His first in a Nottingham Forest shirt, meanwhile, set Nuno Espirito Santo’s high-flying team on their way to a famous 3-2 win away at Manchester United on Saturday evening.
Expert ‘cannot believe’ Nottingham Forest got Nikola Milenkovic
Has there been a better pound-for-pound signing in the Premier League this season?
Nottingham Forest conceded an average of 1.7 goals per game last season. An average which has now reduced to only 1.2. The partnership Milenkovic has struck up with Murillo, meanwhile, is reminiscent of some of the best in recent times.
From John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho, from to Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique; the most feared centre-back partnerships have often consisted of one rock-solid defensive powerhouse and a more cultured, ball-playing partner.
Milenkovic and Murillo might never reach the heights of Terry, Puyol and co. But, with Nottingham Forest climbing well clear of the relegation zone, a place in City Ground folklore may yet await them both.
European expert Andy Brassell, meanwhile, knew Milenkovic very well from his time in Italy.
And, by his own admission, he feels Nottingham Forest pulled off a pretty remarkable bit of business signing a defender who would not look out of place at a club higher up the proverbial footballing pyramid.
“I cannot believe they got him, still,” Brassell tells the Football Ramble. “What a good player he is.
“[Milenkovic and Murillo] are very complimentary.”
Nuno Espirito Santo highlights why Milenkovic is so integral to Forest
Forest’s Belgrade-born battering ram has played the full 90 minutes in every one of their last 14 Premier League matches. He earned the club’s Player of the Month award for September, meanwhile, after laying the foundations for Callum Hudson-Odoi to curl home their first winning goal at Anfield in 55 years.
Nuno highlights Milenkovic’s professionalism and his ‘character’ on and off the pitch as an attribute just as important as his razor-sharp defensive instincts.
“He is contagious to be around,” the former Wolves and Tottenham Hotspur boss told Sky Sports of Milenkovic. “This is what makes him so valuable for us, his character. He brought us stability, leadership, and aggressiveness.
“Defending requires the physical part also but it is a lot about mentality. You have to be relentless. Attackers have a different mindset. One mistake does not mean too much. Back there, it needs 100 per cent focus [in] every minute, every action.
“Nikola has that.”
TBR, meanwhile, understands that Barcelona and Real Madrid have scouted Murillo this season.
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