Nottingham Forest
Exclusive: Expert predicts whether or not Nikola Milenkovic will star at Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest have completed the signing of Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenkovic on a long-term contract.
The Reds have ended days of speculation by getting a deal for the Serbia international over the line ahead of a pre-season tour to Spain.
Milenkovic has cost Forest a fee of around £12 million with some performance-related add-ons also due to Fiorentina.
The 26-year-old has swapped Florence for Nottingham and he will now embark on his maiden campaign playing in the Premier League.
Signing Milenkovic looks like a bit of a coup from the outside but we spoke to Italian football commentator, Dario Pellegrini for the full lowdown on the Euro 2024 defender.
Premier League ‘could be perfect’ for Nikola Milenkovic
“In my idea, the Premier League can be perfect for Milenkovic because he loves fighting,” Pellegrini told Nottingham Forest News.
“He needs to be always stressed by the game to improve his performance.”
With Forest set to embark on a third successive season in the Premier League, it seems as though the expectation levels will rise this season.
Finishing 16th and 17th in their first two seasons back is fine but now Evangelos Marinakis will want to see the club fighting higher up the division.
Pellegrini believes that Forest are getting themselves a very good deal with Milenkovic.
He continued: “I think Nikola (Milenkovic) is a good deal for Forest because we are speaking of a player who was considered one of the best defenders in Serie A almost two years ago.”
Milenkovic can quickly become part of leadership group at Forest
One thing that Forest perhaps lacked at periods of last season was a real leader – but Milenkovic might be about to help in that sense.
The defender was the vice-captain at Fiorentina and clearly he likes to orchestrate things from a defensive perspective.
Pellegrini told us: “He was vice-captain for Fiorentina not only for the years spent in Florence but also because he is a strong leader. I think Forest fans can expect a real leader who has a strong sense of anticipation.
All of this sounds great but why are Fiorentina choosing to sell Milenkovic this summer?
The Radio Bruno commentator explained: “In the last two years he has shown a lack of attention in some matches.
“The manager Valentin Italiano likes to play with a very high defensive line and he’s not so fast. I think this tactical idea has limited his performance levels.”
The proof of whether Milenkovic proves to be a good signing will come once he’s stepped out in the famous Garibaldi.
Based on these comments from Pellegrini, however, it feels as though the pros outweigh the cons and Forest might have hit the jackpot by signing Milenkovic.
