Nottingham Forest is back in the race to sign Lassana Coulibaly and may have an advantage over Midland rivals Leicester City as the Foxes face relegation from the Premier League.
A one-time Rangers loanee who has rebuilt his reputation over in Serie A, Nottingham Forest showed an interest in January and will return with a vengeance over the summer.
That is according to Tuttomercatoweb anyway. The £8.5 million-rated Lassana Coulibaly has been in imperious form throughout the 2022/23 season at Salernitana, his ball-winning prowess catching the eye of a Forest side with the joint-third-worst defensive record in the whole of the Premier League.
Only Leeds United and Bournemouth have conceded more. Leicester City, meanwhile, has let in the same number; a staggering 67.
Nottingham Forest could beat Leicester City to Lassana Coulibaly
Leicester is keen on Coulibaly too, TMW adds. Presumably, for the same reasons. Wilfried Ndidi is a pale imitation of the man who could conceivably consider himself to have been one of the Premier League’s most effective defensive midfielders a couple of years ago.
Coulibaly’s trajectory, however, is trending in the opposite direction. Only a handful of midfielders average more than his 2.3 successful tackles per game in Serie A. Coulibaly is a big reason why Salernitana looks certain to be a top-flight side again in 2023/24.
Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, may be best placed to lure him away from the Stadio Arechi during the upcoming summer window. Four points accrued from their last two matches – a 2-2 draw with Chelsea following a 4-3 triumph over now-relegated Southampton – means Forest have their destiny in their own hands.
The same cannot be said of a Leicester side seemingly destined for the drop, just two years after beating Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley to claim both the FA Cup and Community Shield. Dean Smith’s side could beat both Newcastle and West Ham in their final two fixtures and still go down.
Described as a midfield ‘destroyer’ by former Rangers boss Steven Gerrard; Coulibaly has an admirer in the shape of Forest boss Steve Cooper.
Forest has an array of deep-lying playmakers; Remo Freuler, Jonjo Shelvey, and Orel Mangala. But few dedicated ball-winners in the number six spot.
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Eric Lichaj sends a four-word message to Nottingham Forest ahead of Arsenal clash
Nottingham Forest has been sent a four-word message of support from Eric Lichaj ahead of Saturday’s huge game against Arsenal.
Back in 2018, Lichaj stunned the Gunners when he scored twice in a 4-2 win in the third round of the FA Cup at the City Ground.
After the game, he was named the Man of the Match and named his new dog ‘Gunner’!
Lichaj was always an honest member of whichever Forest squad he was part of and never shirked his responsibility to work hard.
For some of his time at the club, he was the captain of the side and that was a role that clearly meant a lot to him.
The American performer played 190 times for the Reds during five years at the City Ground and for three of those seasons, he was virtually ever-present.
These days, Lichaj is retired. Earlier this season he was actually doing some coaching with the Forest Academy.
After leaving Forest he joined Hull and he was immediately named as the club captain there.
Lichaj is clearly still fond of his former club and he’s offered the team some encouragement ahead of Saturday’s clash with Arsenal.
Lichaj has sent Forest a four-word message
The Reds know that a win this weekend could secure their Premier League status for another season.
Forest has a thankless task though; with Arsenal still mathematically in the hunt to wrangle the title from the clutches of Manchester City.
Ahead of the clash, the official media team has tweeted highlights of Forest’s famous 4-2 win in 2018.
Underneath, Lichaj has posted the words: “Good luck this weekend.”
Forest will likely want to get the survival mission completed as quickly as possible.
If they do get beat by Arsenal at the weekend, it promises to be a nervy final day down at Selhurst Park when the Reds take on Crystal Palace.
