Why Marcus McGuane could be a massive coup for Nottingham Forest
According to claims from Dutch newspaper, Ijmuider Courant, as cited by Nottinghamshire Live, Nottingham Forest have reached an agreement with Barcelona over a potential deal for midfielder Marcus McGuane.
The 20-year-old joined Dutch second-tier outfit Telstar on a season-long loan deal back in September and the report adds that the Reds will, therefore, need to buy off the lease if they are keen to bring the midfielder to the City Ground before the January deadline.
Born in Greenwich, McGuane rose through the youth ranks at Arsenal and made a big impression at U18 and U23 levels before earning a couple of first-team appearances for the Gunners in the Europa League.
The central midfielder, who has represented England at U17, U18 and U19 levels, parted company with the North London giants to complete a move to Barcelona back in January 2018, initially linking up with the Catalan’s ‘B’ team.
McGuane went on to rewrite the history books when he made his first-team debut for Barca as a substitute in the Catalan Super Cup final back in March 2018. In doing so, the 20-year-old became the first English player in 29 years after Gary Linekar to represent the Catalans
The former Arsenal youth product made 24 appearances for Barcelona’s ‘B’ team, earning rave reviews for his development, but lack of first-team opportunities paved the way for a temporary move to Dutch second-tier outfit Telstar earlier in the ongoing campaign.
The 20-year-old has recorded a total of 16 appearances for Telstar across all competitions so far this season, scoring once and laying on a further three assists for his teammates.
Now, as per the report, Nottingham Forest have been alerted to McGuane’s talent and potential and are on the verge of completing a deal for the midfielder before the January deadline.
The two-time European champions are yet to set the ball rolling in the winter market after a busy summer window following the appointment of Sabri Lamouchi, who roped in as many as 12 new players to reshape his squad prior to the start of the campaign.
With Rafa Mir returning to Wolves after terminating his loan spell prematurely, Forest are in dire need of a new striker to reduce the dependence on top-scorer Lewis Grabban, who has been a key driving force for the Reds in the Championship with 14 goals so far this season.
A new attacking midfielder or a winger could also fit the bill in January but central midfield is one area where Forest are currently pretty well-stocked, with veteran Ben Watson forming a formidable pairing with Tiago Silva in Lamouchi’s double pivot in the middle of the park.
Others like Alfa Semedo, Ryan Yates and Samba Sow have all made a positive impression and Forest, as such, don’t really need to prioritize the recruitment of any new faces to bolster their midfield cavalry.
Verdict
With that in mind, Marcus McGuane has loads of potential and could well go on to have a big future in the game.
Forest might not need a new central midfielder in January but they will surely need to reshuffle their midfield options come the end of the season. Watson, 34, is nearing his twilight while Semedo is only on loan from Benfica, meaning that McGuane could slot seamlessly into the manager’s plans moving forward.
The Reds have blooded a plethora of top-quality talents in their widely-revered academy and with homegrown stars like Yates, Joe Worrall, Alex Mighten, Brennan Johnson and Matty Cash all making their presence felt, McGuane might also get a chance to impress provided he continues his development in the right direction.
Former Barcelona ‘B’ coach, Gerard Lopez, branded McGuane as a complete midfielder in the making, hailing his industry, work-rate, aerial prowess as well as his knack of arriving late inside the box to score goals. (h/t Nottinghamshire Live)
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Having said that, Marcus McGuane seems to have all the raw materials to make a big impact in the years to come and Nottingham Forest completing a deal for the youngster could pay off handsomely for their long-term plans moving forward.
