Nottingham Forest can look forward to another Premier League season, and there may be reason for some quiet optimism at the City Ground.
Only an incredible combination of results on the last day might see Luton Town overtake Forest.
Nuno Espirito Santo will not feel fully at ease until the last whistle on Sunday, but preparations for the following season can begin.
This summer, Forest will undoubtedly require reinforcements, and negotiations for prospective new acquisitions should continue.
Some key players will undoubtedly receive interest this summer, and Forest may be obliged to sell at least one of them.
Morgan Gibbs-White is the frontrunner to leave, but that would still leave Forest with some genuine quality in Nuno’s squad.
Micah Richards on Murillo
Ola Aina has had a solid season, and few full backs will want to face Callum Hudson-Odoi or Anthony Elanga anytime soon.
The Forest squad is plenty of talent, with defender Murillo serving as an excellent example.
The Brazilian centre back joined Forest from Corinthians last summer and has had an excellent debut season in the Premier League.
Left-footed centre backs are quite popular in modern football, and Murillo has already piqued curiosity.
Barcelona and Real Madrid are interested, while Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Newcastle United have also been connected.
Forest will struggle to keep Murillo, and he has now received praise from analyst Micah Richards.
On The Rest is Football, Richards referred to Murillo as a ‘fantastic little player’, emphasizing his lack of size as a center back.
Richards went on to say that Murillo is’really active’ and praised his game reading in the Forest back line.
“Murillo, the centre half, a great little player,” Richards said. “He’s only small but really reads the game well, he’s really aggressive, really quick.”
Richards praises Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels
Murillo has undoubtedly earned Richards’ praise, but the commentator also praised goalkeeper Matz Sels.
Forest pounced to land Sels from Strasbourg in January, and his arrival raised some questions.
Sels had previously struggled at Newcastle United, but Forest believed he was ready for another chance in English football.
Sels’ outstanding performances this season have confirmed Forest’s point.
Richards commended Sels for stabilising Forest’s defensive, claiming he has increased trust in the back line.
“The goalkeeper, too, Sels. I believe he has done an excellent job, especially given that he is coming in first place. He appears to have given the back line some stability and confidence, so they have some pretty good players,” Richards said.
Forest have some excellent players in place for next season, including Sels and Murillo, and will hopefully avoid another relegation battle.
