With the transfer news of Elliot Anderson potentially heading for the exit, the Nottingham Forest transfers in the midfield department will take centre stage for the Reds.
As the summer transfer window rumours continue to swirl around, Vitor Pereira’s men look to be signing reinforcements in the eventuality of an Elliot Anderson exit.
The England international has been on the radar of many Premier League giants, with Manchester City and Manchester United looking likely to be going head-to-head for the signing of the midfielder.
Since the emergence of the Elliot Anderson exit news, the Reds have started their search for midfield reinforcements that could become the Englishman’s replacement.
With several players tipped to be making the move to the East Midlands, which midfielder could prove to be the right Elliot Anderson replacement if Forest’s number eight were to leave?
Nottingham Forest Transfers: Vitor Pereira Dipping Into The Serie A Market
In the January transfer window, Nottingham Forest were pushing on signing Inter Milan midfielder Davide Frattesi, as the Italian looked destined for a move to the Premier League until a late U-turn stopped that move from happening.
The 26-year-old midfielder is once again rumoured to be making the move to the East Midlands giants and will be a name that Forest fans will hear about for the next couple of weeks.
With the Elliot Anderson exit rumours beginning to get louder and more frequent, could Frattesi be the right man for the Reds and be the midfielder they need?
With that being said, other Serie A midfielders have also been linked with the Forest number eight role, as Khephren Thuram and Niccolo Pisilli have also been linked.
The latter, an exciting 21-year-old talent with AS Roma, had a standout season as he managed four goals and four assists in 34 matches in all competitions.
However, Thuram would be an excellent piece of business for the Reds. Having been an exciting young talent at Nice, the French midfielder made the move to Juventus, but it has not necessarily paid dividends for the now 25-year-old.
Compared to Frattesi and Pisilli, Thuram has played a starting role for the Old Lady and has managed plenty of minutes under his legs, something the former two have lacked in the 2025/26 season.
With Anderson able to play as a number six or a number eight, Thuram and Pisilli have the much-needed experience in those positions, with Frattesi also having that ability, but the Italian has more experience under his belt as a number eight and a number 10.
In comparison to Anderson, Thuram is very closely linked with the Englishman’s stats, with the Frenchman also a passing genius, which is highlighted by his almost 87% passing success rate.
Nottingham Forest Transfers: The Bundesliga Loanee With Premier League Experience
Another player who has been linked with a summer transfer move to Nottingham Forest is Arsenal midfielder Fabio Viera, who spent last season on loan to Hamburger SV.
With the same stature as Anderson, the Portuguese midfielder is probably the more attacking number eight option that the Reds are monitoring.
In 31 matches in all competitions, Viera managed seven goals and five assists as he enjoyed his best season since his 23-goal contribution season for FC Porto in 2021/22.
In terms of attacking output, the Reds will be bringing in a player who has that in abundance, and that provides the shooting prowess when needed.
However, something that Viera does not possess that Anderson does is the defensive contributions, something that Forest has relied on heavily for the last two seasons.
If the 26-year-old was preferred at the signing to replace the exit-heading Anderson, Forest would need to pair the Portuguese midfielder with someone more defensive, like Ibrahim Sangare, to get the balance right.
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Nottingham Forest Transfers: Could This Be The Chance For Someone Like James McAtee To Step Up?
After signing for Nottingham Forest last summer, James McAtee has had limited opportunities to impress for the Reds, with the numerous managerial changes also impacting that.
The Manchester City Academy graduate signed for the East Midlands club whilst Nuno Espirito Santo was still in charge; however, since then, he has only managed two starts in the Premier League and has been largely used as a substitute.
Used more frequently in Nottingham Forest’s successful UEFA Europa League campaign, the Elliot Anderson exit rumour talks have sparked a way back for the somewhat forgotten attacking midfielder.
The 23-year-old has shown his quality for Manchester City when utilised by Pep Guardiola in the 2024/25 season, and for Sheffield United during their stint in the Premier League in the 2023/24 season.
With that being said, Anderson will leave a huge hole to fill, and with McAtee largely an attacking midfielder, could his starting XI berth see Reds captain Morgan Gibbs-White drop into central midfield?
Gibbs-White’s attacking output helped Forest retain their status as a Premier League club for another season, and Pereira will unlikely want to put his captain a step back, especially after such a stellar goalscoring season.
Nottingham Forest transfers are definitely something that will be interesting to keep a closer eye on, especially if the Elliot Anderson exit happens.
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