Forest Target Brazilian Defender

Want to know about the Brazilian captain at the forefront of Forest’s January transfer strategy?

The average age of Nottingham Forest’s defence that started last weekend was 26; age doesn’t seem a major issue from this statistic, but the leaders within the defensive group are aging: Boly & Felipe both in their mid-thirties nearly, the need to invest in younger leaders is crucial, and Forest may have just found their answer, in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.

Who is the latest defender being rigorously pursued by Nottingham Forest?

Marcilio Florencio Mota Filho, or as you most likely know him, Nino, is a Brazilian Centre-back who plays for Copa Libertadores winners, Fluminense, in the Campeonato Brasiliero Serie A.

Since earlier in the season, Nottingham Forest’s pursuit of Nino has been public knowledge, but until recently, the depth of the pursuit is most unknown; recent reports from Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenburg however have revealed that the East Midlands club are still in pursuit, and Nino favours a move to Trent side – Fluminense want around £5m.

After leaving Criciúma for Fluminense on loan in 2019, later becoming a permanent deal, Nino has quickly moved up the ranks, becoming club captain, later being called up for the Brazilian Olympics team in 2020, and being named in the Brazilian National Team in August 2023. Phenomenal strides for the acclaimed defender, known for his strength, Ariel ability, and pace, an “Idol” of the Fluminense team.

Do the stats back up the claims that Nino is a top defender, capable of Premier League football?

It’s not just the views of coaches/teammates/fans that back up the point that Nino is a superb defender capable of making the move to the Premier League, statistics back this point up too.

Firstly, I will say, Nino isn’t without weaknesses; statistics from Fbref show that Nino is typically not the player you would like as your last man, despite his pace. In the Serie A, Nino only averaged 0.52 tackles per 90, in the lowest 98% of defenders comparable, with a relatively poor block rate also (0.80 per 90). Even with his pace, statistically speaking, Nino doesn’t equal the tackling qualities of some of his potential colleagues in Willy Boly/Murillo, etc, but by no means is he a bad tackler, or one to shy away from blocks – this is based on the law of averages, these stats.

With these negatives, which are essential to really discover the sort of player Nottingham Forest are hoping to sign, comes the positives – what is Nino good at? What makes him a shrewd signing for Forest?

It’s clear that Nottingham Forest have been trying to sign players capable of a more possession-heavier style. Murillo’s superb distribution from the back, matches with Dominguez/Sangare’s impressive stats at their respective former employee’s, in midfield, suggests that Nino would suit this philosophy, being amongst the best of comparable defenders for various passing statistics. According to stats site Fbref, Nino is in the top 7% for passes completed per 90 minutes (71), as well as the top 3% for pass completion rate, averaging at 90.6%. His ‘attacking minded’ style, similar to Murillo, shows in the stats: top 7% for Progressive carries per 90 & top 15% for take-ons with comparable defenders; a defenders job, of course, isn’t really attacking related, but with the way modern football demands a team to play, it’s certainly an attribute a team shouldn’t/likely wont turn their ‘noses up’ at.

So far: Fast, good in the air, a great distributor, leader, experienced, and with time on his side, aged 26. Nino typically plays in the right side of a back four, an area in which Nottingham Forest typically face issues with reliability & aging options (Felipe & Boly).

Why should Nottingham Forest sign him, and what will it take to make a deal happen?

Fluminense aren’t really driving a ‘hard bargain’ in comparison to Premier League prices – Florian Plettenburg believes that a verbal agreement is in place between the two clubs for a fee worth $6m, with negotiations ongoing regarding the intimate details of contracts. Some reports say that Nino earns between £15k-£30k per week, a mere fraction of what many top Premier League defenders earn – a move to Nottingham Forest would definitely bump up this wage, but of course the true intricacies of a deal won’t be known down to the specifics by much of the public. To me, this doesn’t seem like a case of “if”, but rather “when” – January is a great opportunity to sign the defender, and Nino himself is keen on the move.

Nottingham Forest should sign him, one of the big reasons for that – as mentioned previously – being that the right side of the Centre back area’s depth consists of Boly & Felipe, most notable, two players nearing the end of their Forest contracts, and both with occasional lengthy injury spells; Niakhaté can cover, but a specifically right sided Centre back who is reliable, young, and offers something different is something that Forest should certainly take advantage of. Providing Nottingham Forest work quicker with the ball, particularly in the midfield and getting forward quicker, Murillo’s distribution paired with Nino would be a sight to see – this, in my view, would only aid Forest’s efforts to become a side more comfortable in possession, a more assured Premier League side. Nino is a very ‘modern’ defender, in that respect.

Nino isn’t perfect, but I feel that his ability to defend & offer something going forward is certainly something Forest could benefit from; if needed in a back three, I think Nino could suit that role also – still potential to be filled, I think he can make the step up to the Premier League, and become apart of Forest’s group of “Core defenders”, referenced in one of my previous articles.

A centre-back isn’t the priority for January, at least in my view. A striker should be position of paramount importance to the recruitment team – signing Nino does set a precedent for other transfers though: Forest are ambitious, and are scouting well; they aren’t afraid to invest in January.