Best Signing In Years - Scott McKenna

Nottingham Forest have made some exceptionally good signings over the past few years. Lewis Grabban, Michail Antonio and Britt Assombalonga come to immediate mind over recent times, though two of the aforementioned have left whilst one has caused contrasting views amongst Reds fans.

One signing that Forest have made recently though, Scott McKenna, has not caused split opinions. The Scotsman signed for the reds for just shy of £3 million before the 2020/21 season and has become a main stay in the centre of the Nottingham Forest defence.

The club had been monitoring McKenna at Aberdeen for over a year and waited until the right deal was available, though £3 million looks like quite the steal after performances during this season so far.

“The fact that Forest were tracking my progress for more than a year was a major factor. The club have done a lot of research into the way I played. They made it clear how much they wanted me to be here. Which was an extra draw for me to come.”

Although McKenna’s first season at the City Ground was disrupted through various injuries, his absence was made clear enough for Forest fans to recognise that the Scotland international could become some player in Nottingham.

With Joe Worrall missing certain games, particularly at the start of this season, it took a while for Forest fans to see how the McKenna and Worrall partnership could look after a sustainable period, and it has been worth the wait.

Whether it is just the left footed McKenna and right footed Worrall manning the centre of defence or whether Tobias Figueiredo has been added to make a three, McKenna has always defended the left-hand side this season, making that place his own.

The 25-year-old has represented something that Forest fans have always loved since his time at the club. A brave, no-nonsense centre back that commands his area, looking entirely comfortable and solid at the same time. He’s not fancy in the way he plays; he sticks to his role and gives maximum effort whilst staying away from the limelight.

The reds defender can also carry the ball out of defence well which was highlighted recently against Peterborough, with the Forest defender carrying the ball up to near the opposition box and creating opportunities.

So far this season, McKenna has started all 21 games for Forest, playing 90 minutes per game. Only Joe Worrall has made more accurate passes (42.7) per 90 minutes than Scott McKenna (38.2) so far this season, though McKenna has a higher percentage of passes completed (80%) than Worrall (77%). In terms of accurate long balls, only Worrall (4.5) and Ryan Yates (3.5) have made more than McKenna (2) per game so far this season.

Defensively, McKenna has completed 0.7 tackles, 1 interception and 3.6 clearances per game. Only Figueiredo (4.1) has more clearances than McKenna this season, however, McKenna has played significantly more games than his Portuguese teammate so far. McKenna also wins 4.5 duels per game, with 3.4 of them being in the air, highlighting McKenna’s strong aerial presence.

“I am just an aggressive defender. I don’t think of myself as anything special or out of the ordinary. I just love defending” says McKenna. Music to Forest fans ears and a statement that rings true in performance.

The Scotland defender has also had his attacking contributions too. He scored a strong header on the first home game of the season against Bournemouth before assisting Max Lowe to earn a point against Millwall. The goal that McKenna scored against Bournemouth was true to his aerial ability, but his assist against Millwall showed how far the centre backs are allowed to venture under Steve Cooper’s new system.

The popularity of the Forest defender hasn’t been a doubt amongst fans of the club so far during his time at the City Ground, nevertheless, a poll was put out on social media to ask, “Scott McKenna, how good is he?”

#NFFC fans you know the drill…

Scott McKenna, how good is he?

— Callum Castel-Nuovo (@callumcasteln) December 6, 2021

There was one clear answer to this poll with 85% of fans answering, ‘Best signing for years’. Only 13% of fans answered, ‘Not bad’, whilst 1% voted ‘Needs improvement’ and the final 1% voted ‘Other (comment)’ before adding their comment: “A very class act and future captain.”

It’s been clear for a while now that Scott McKenna is velociously becoming a fan favourite at Nottingham Forest and Steve Cooper also added to this recently: “He’s not going under the radar with us. Far from it. I know how much his game and Forest mean to him. Him and Joe (Worrall) have been excellent together.”

The partnership of one of Forest’s best youth products in recent years, Joe Worrall and one of Forest’s best transfers in recent years, Scott McKenna is one that fans will hope to continue for an exceedingly long time. It seemed as though the perfect partner for Worrall was going to be hard to come by, but after over a year’s worth of scouting, it appears Forest might have got just that.