Nottingham Forest Opinion: Arijanet Muric could push Pantilimon for the No.1 role at the City Ground
According to Nottinghamshire Live, Nottingham Forest have been credited with an interest in Man City shot-stopper Arijanet Muric, with reports claiming that manager Martin O’Neill is keen to add another goalkeeper to his ranks this summer.
Nottinghamshire Live understands that Martin O’Neill and Forest’s goalkeeping coach Seamus McDonagh watched the 20-year-old in action for Kosova against Bulgaria last weekend and they were left impressed by the youngster’s performance in his nation’s 3-2 triumph.
The same source claims that Man City manager Pep Guardiola is open to sending Muric out on loan this summer to allow him to gain more first-team exposure in the Championship.
Born in Switzerland to parents of Kosovan heritage, Muric played for Grasshoppers and FC Zurich at the youth level before joining Man City’s youth ranks back in 2015.
The youngster was pretty much an unknown entity prior to the last season but he is currently regarded as one of the brightest emerging prospects in the ranks at the Etihad.
Muric was initially shipped out on loan to Eredivisie side NAC Breda last summer but Man City recalled after a month to act as the understudy to No.1 Ederson Moraes following a long-term injury to veteran Claudio Bravo.
The 20-year-old earned his first-team debut for the Citizens in the victory over Oxford United in the third round of the 2018-19 EFL Cup and he subsequently went on to feature in five games in that competition before being replaced by Ederson in the finals, as City claimed silverware at the cost of Chelsea.
Muric was the penalty-shootout hero in the quarter-final victory against Leicester City and his goalkeeping heroics earned him plenty of plaudits from the fans and pundits alike.
Having featured initially for Montenegro at the U-21 level, Muric switched his international allegiance to Kosovo and made his senior international debut against Azerbaijan in the 2018-19 UEFA Nations League. His metaphoric rise at Man City has seen him cement his place as the No.1 for Kosova on the international front and one would expect him to continue in that role for years to come.
To put things into perspective, Nottingham Forest might have missed out on a playoff spot in the Championship this past season but they finished the campaign with one of the best defensive records in the division.
Their tally of 61 goals wasn’t enough for them to make the cut to the playoffs, and while O’Neill needs to add more firepower to his attack following the departure of loanees Diogo Goncalves and Gil Dias, bringing in Arijanet Muric on loan won’t do Forest much harm.
Costel Pantilimon was the undisputed No.1 between the sticks at the City Ground the last term and the Romanian international enjoyed a good run with the gloves, registering as many as 15 clean sheets in 44 outings. 34-year-old Luke Steele made 7 appearances in all competitions but it is clear from O’Neill’s interest in Muric that he wants to provide Pantilimon with more competition.
Having featured in the Premier League for Man City, Sunderland and Watford earlier in his career, Pantilimon continues to be one of the high-profile shot-stoppers in the Championship.
However, Muric has also shown strong signs of promise at Man City and he certainly has the quality to challenge the 32-year-old for a first-team role next season, whilst Forest can also look at him as a useful back-up and an upgrade on Steele.
Either way, increasing competition for places between the sticks should not hurt Forest.
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To conclude, this is a deal that looks likely to happen and Forest should definitely go ahead with this one in a bid to add more depth and quality to their goalkeeping options.
