Summary Nottingham Forest are close to signing a player once valued at a whopping £70m. He's been celebrated as a 'monster of a talent' by the media. The player is one of the best in Europe when it comes to progressive carries of the ball.
Nottingham Forest have not completed the same havoc-wreaking transfer window that followed the promotion to the Premier League last year, but Steve Cooper's outfit are poised for a busy finish to the summer market.
Who are Nottingham Forest going to sign?
According to the Guardian, Nottingham Forest are closing in on a deal for Chelsea ace Callum Hudson-Odoi, who are poised to beat Fulham to the 22-year-old's signature.
The England international was touted as one of Europe's most prodigious talents when he burst onto the scene, but an Achilles injury has had a ruinous effect on his progress.
The Evening Standard previously claimed that Chelsea were demanding £8m for the winger, which could prove to be a considerable coup if he rekindles his former form at the City Ground.
How good is Callum Hudson-Odoi?
It's been a turbulent ride for Hudson-Odoi, who was subject to a loan offer with a £70m obligation to buy from long-reigning German champions Bayern Munich in 2020.
Chelsea rejected the lucrative approach, though will likely be kissing their teeth now, with the £180k-per-week ace poised to join the Tricky Trees for roughly 10% of that former proposal for the "monster of a talent", as was once proclaimed by reporter Nizaar Kinsella.
The three-cap forward still maintains some impressive base qualities despite the rocky road traversed over the past few years, ranking among the top 9% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 16% for progressive passes and the top 13% for progressive carries per 90, as per FBref.
Such metrics highlight a tendency to receive the ball from deep in the left channel and blend both crisp, forward-thinking passing with a slickness in barrelling forward himself, once hailed as "amazingly talented" by scout Jacek Kulig.
Such "fantastic" natural ability, as has been said by Frank Lampard, maintained over the duration of his loan spell with Bayer Leverkusen last term, hints at a return to flourishing fortunes in the future, with the left winger just needing to unearth a cutting edge to his craft.
One sure-fire way to present Hudson-Odoi with the perfect opportunity to thrive at last would be for Cooper to ensure Nuno Tavares unearths a connection with the Chelsea man down the left channel, with the left-back set to join the club from Arsenal in a £2m loan deal with a £12m buy option.
Tavares signed for the Gunners in a deal worth around £8m in 2021, making 28 appearances across the 2021/22 campaign before being loaned out to French side Marseille last summer.
Tavares forged 31 displays in Ligue 1 and scored six goals, showcasing his attacking qualities while completing 79% of his passes and averaging 1.8 tackles per game.
As per FBref, the Portuguese wideman ranks among the top 16% of full-backs for goals, the top 1% for total shots taken, the top 7% for progressive carries and the top 3% for successful take-ons per 90, highlighting his prowess as a high-octane vehicle and prompting praise from Marseille boss Igor Tudor for his "extraordinary explosiveness".
With two bundles of energy down the left flank, Forest's attacking integrity could hit a whole new level, likely to send City Ground into rapture with such an exciting duality of talent.
With Cooper making the requisite moves to ensure Nottingham Forest are not plagued with a virulent bout of second-season-syndrome, enhancing the squad with moves for Tavares and Hudson-Odoi could be the way forward, and the club now need to wrap both deals up swiftly.