JANUARY TRANSFER…..
TRANSFER NEWS: Murillo, 21, is signed to a $26 million contract by…..
Nottingham Forest’s central defensive partnership against West Ham United quickly earned the tagline of ‘master and apprentice’.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side recorded their first clean-sheet in the Premier League since November as the Hammers were kept at bay in a 2-0 win. And the Brazilian duo of veteran Felipe and 21-year-old Murillo were at the heart of a solid Reds back line.
It served as a reminder of how the latter is proving to be an excellent bit of business by the club. Given he arrived from Corinthians with limited senior football under his belt, the youngster has quickly made himself at home in English football.
Forest’s transfer dealings have been in the spotlight again as the club await a date for their hearing after being charged with breaching Premier League Profitability and Sustainability rules. They have not always got it right in the market, but they have notched up a few bargains.
The club-record fee for Ibrahim Sangare attracted most of the headlines last summer, but amongst the 13 additions made in that window, the Reds oversaw what are proving to be some excellent deals.
Combined, Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi cost less than £20 million. Less than £7m was paid to Bologna for Nicolas Dominguez, with Remo Freuler heading in the opposite direction as part of the deal. Ola Aina arrived on a free.
And Murillo also has to be up there as one of the best signings of that window, with Forest having paid just £11m to bring him to the City Ground. He is proving to be worth every penny – and then some.
Harry Redknapp hailed him as “fantastic” as he picked the defender for his Team of the Week. “He can dribble the ball, and he played some nice passes. He put in a brilliant tackle against Michail Antonio and made several good clearances,” he said.
Murillo is not yet the finished article. Areas of his game still need improvement. He will have ups and downs throughout the course of the season.
There is always a danger of building up young players only for them to struggle further down the line. Nuno’s challenge is to manage Murillo well. There is no doubt he has bags of potential. And amid a focus on the Reds’ financial situation and transfer business, he is one example of where they have got it right.
