Nottingham Forest may be able to sign “this best player” replacement to John Tavares for £28 million.

Nottingham Forest may be able to sign “this best player” replacement to John Tavares for £28 million.

Nottingham Forest are set for a busy end of the transfer window, as Steve Cooper weighs up his options ahead of the eagerly anticipated drama of deadline day.

The Reds have already welcomed six new faces to the City Ground this summer, however, another target has emerged as the Tricky Trees eye further defensive reinforcements.

Who could Nottingham Forest sign this summer?

With two right-backs already recruited, revelations are pointing to the left side as a potential area for strengthening in the market.

Earlier in the month, the Reds were linked to Arsenal full-back Nuno Tavares by journalist Fabrizio Romano, relaying the club’s ‘formal proposal’ to sign the Portuguese talent.

The renowned journalist followed up by stating that the deal was ‘getting complicated’, adding that Forest could consider reopening talks to sign the 23-year-old.

With little clarity over the situation, an alternative seems to have arisen, with the Daily Mail naming Tottenham Hotspur defender Sergio Reguilon as being a player that the Reds have an interest in.

Signed by the Lilywhites in 2020 for a fee in the region of £28m, the 26-year-old is said to be one of the players the north Londoners may offload this summer.

What could Sergio Reguilon offer to Nottingham Forest?

Once described as being “one of the best” U23 left-backs in the world by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Reguilon’s expertise goes far beyond his adequate stint in north London.

A youth product of Real Madrid, the Spaniard could be a revelation signing for Forest, in a move that could give the 26-year-old a shot at redemption in England.

For Forest, links to the Spurs outsider could be encouraging with reference to their interest in Tavares, a player whom Reguilon was likened to statistically by FBref during the 2021/22 Premier League campaign.

The averages recorded by FBref show the similarities between the two Forest targets, with the Spurs whiz showing his defensive strengths in comparison to Tavares through an average of 1.88 tackles and 1.46 interceptions per 90.

The Arsenal full-back fell short to Reguilon in defensive areas, averaging 1.61 tackles and 0.69 interceptions per 90, however excelled in decimals such as progressive carries in which he averaged 3.60 to the Spaniard’s 2.96 per 90.

Cooper could sign a strong addition to the left side of his defence in either of the targets, with both players having the knowledge and expertise of the task it takes to succeed in the Premier League.

One area of both of the targets’ respective games that is fundamental to being successful in the league is their ability to get forward and approach to progressive play.

As per FBref, Reguilon averaged an impressive 1.36 key passes per 90 for Spurs in the 2021/22 campaign, with his efforts in the final third also communicated by his two goals and three assists.

Tavares averaged 0.77 key passes per 90 for the Gunners and registered a single goal and assist for the north Londoners, suggesting that Reguilon may in fact be a strong fit for Cooper’s side considering his experience and suitability.

For either deal Forest wish to pursue, the Reds must act fast if they are to complete the signings ahead of the chaos on deadline day, in what is set to be a busy rest of the week at the City Ground.