Elanga & Aina-2
Nottingham Forest were one of the standout sides of the Premier League last season. The East Midlands club, under the tutelage of Nuno Espirito Santo, qualified for the UEFA Conference League after they finished seventh in the top flight. For much of the campaign, they were in the race for a Champions League spot.
Unsurprisingly, with all that success, there has been plenty of interest in some of their key players. Anthony Elanga is one man who has been linked with a move away, with reports suggesting a £50m bid from Newcastle United would be enough for the deal to go through.
Anthony-Elanga-Nottingham-Forest
If that move does happen, Forest will need a replacement and have been linked with a player who is, in many ways, a hybrid between Elanga and right-back Ola Aina.
Nottingham Forest’s latest transfer target
It would certainly be a huge blow if Elanga was to depart the City Ground. The relationship he has formed with Aina down that right-hand side has been formidable. The East Midlands side must get his potential replacement right.
Well, perhaps the man they could bring into the club is AC Milan winger Alexis Saelemaekers. According to a report from TEAMtalk, the club ‘have held talks’ with the Serie A giants over a potential move for the Belgian this summer.
alexis-saelemaekers-roma
This is a longstanding interest; Forest have reportedly been ‘in contact with the Belgian international’s entourage for over a year’. The two teams are apart in valuation at the moment, with Milan demanding £21m, just over £4m more than what Forest want to pay.
However, the fact that they’ve been interested in the winger for so long might suggest a deal can be completed.
Why Saelemaekers would be a good signing
The versatile Belgian star spent the 2024/25 campaign on loan at Milan’s Serie A rivals Roma. Whilst he struggled with an ankle injury at the beginning of the season, he enjoyed a strong second half to his spell in the Italian capital.
alexis-saelemaekers-as-roma
Saelemaekers played 31 games for Roma last season, grabbing an impressive 13 goals and assists in that time. Of those goal involvements, seven goals and three assists came in just 22 Serie A appearances.
One of the standout features about Saelemaekers’ game last season was, without doubt, his versatility. The 25-year-old played on both flanks and as a number 10, seeing success in all of those positions.
This is where the Elanga and Aina hybrid idea comes in. Not only is Saelemaekers able to play as a right-winger, thus replacing Elanga directly, but he can also slot in as a right-back.
As per Transfermarkt, he has played that role 14 times in his career, as well as featuring at right wing-back.
Replacing Elanga next season, if he leaves, will not be easy. The Sweden international was a standout player in Garibaldi Red last term, with six goals and 11 assists in 38 Premier League games, mainly operating on the right-hand side. However, Saelemaekers certainly has the ability to do so.
Most assists 2024-25 Premier League (timeless)
The similarities between the duo are clear to see. Both are right-footed wingers operating on the right and had a hand in a healthy number of goals.
In fact, both of them averaged 0.61 goal involvements per 90 minutes, as per FBref, with Saelemaekers playing more progressive passes than Elanga each game, with 3.48 to 2.27.
Saelemaekers and Elanga key stats compared
Stat (per 90)
Saelemaekers
Elanga
Goals and assists
0.61
0.61
Key passes
1.59
1.8
Progressive passes
3.48
2.27
Shot-creating actions
3.9
3.67
Ball recoveries
4.82
3.2
Stats from FBref
Saelemaekers can certainly be an apt Elanga replacement, and will be hoping he can form a deadly partnership with Aina, just as the Swede has done. They have played 57 times together, even combining for a goal away to West Ham United in 2022/23, in what ended as a 3-2 loss.
He could also provide cover, or even competition as a flying full-back, for a player Jamie Carragher said “could play for a team who expects to be in the Champions League every season”.
Nottingham Forest’s Ola Aina celebrates after the match
There is no doubt that Saelemaekers could be a fantastic member of the squad at the City Ground. He is a player with reams of “quality” as football talent scout Jacek Kulig said, and with the abilities he possesses, can surely be considered a hybrid of Elanga and Aina, two of Forest’s most important players.
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