Nottinghamshire

Karan Vinod
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester City attacking midfielder James McAtee is nearing a move to Nottingham Forest, according to reports.

Still only 22, the Salford-born midfielder has had limited starting opportunities at City, but his flashes of quality - backed by the numbers - suggest he could be a shrewd addition for Nuno Espirito Santo.

McAtee played 959 minutes in all competitions for City last season. In statistical terms, that's a small sample size, meaning raw totals don't tell the full story. Instead, per-90 metrics give a clearer picture of his impact when he is on the pitch.

McAtee's 9.22 progressive passes received per 90 is a standout figure, suggesting he consistently finds pockets of space beyond opposition midfield lines. This movement makes him a valuable outlet for ball progression - a trait Nottingham Forest could harness to transition quickly from defence to attack.

Coupled with 5.88 touches in the attacking penalty area per 90, the midfielder's profile leans towards a player who not only gets into dangerous positions but does so frequently, signalling strong off-ball intelligence.

Defensively, McAtee's 1.96 tackles per 90 indicates he's willing to engage in out-of-possession work, a necessity in a Forest side that often spends stretches without the ball. While not a defensive specialist, that level of contribution shows he's not purely a luxury player.

His SCA (take-on) rate of 0.59 per 90 also hints at his ability to beat a man and directly create shooting opportunities, offering Forest an additional weapon when breaking down low blocks or hitting on the counter.

One area to watch is ball retention. His 0.78 dispossessions per 90 is relatively low for an attacking midfielder, which suggests he is careful in possession and makes calculated risks when taking on defenders. For a team like Forest, who can't afford to waste attacking opportunities, this combination of creativity, movement, and ball security could be invaluable. While the dataset is limited, these per-90 figures show a player with the technical and tactical tools to adapt quickly to a more prominent role in the Premier League.

Nottingham Forest are close to agreeing a deal for Manchester City's 22-year-old English midfielder James McAtee. (Athletic - subscription required), external

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Bobbie Jackson
BBC Sport journalist

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Uefa regulations around multi-club ownership and European competitions are in place to prevent collusion.

In the governing body's rulebook, a club is required to prove they are not "simultaneously involved in any capacity whatsoever in the management, administration, and/or sporting performance of more than one club participating in a Uefa club competition".

Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis, who also controls Greek side Olympiakos, avoided regulations around multi-club ownership by diluting his control of the Premier League side, which was announced in April.

John Textor took similar steps to help Crystal Palace's prospects of playing in the Europa League by agreeing to sell his stake to New York Jets owner Johnson in June.

Ultimately, there were no sanctions to avoid and no case to answer for Forest - they fell short in their Champions League challenge and are therefore not in the same competition as Olympiakos.

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your views on whether Nottingham Forest are ready for the new season as they prepare to kick off at home to Brentford on Sunday.

Here are some of your comments:

Sean: In terms of results, it's not been an ideal pre-season. However, the new faces look very promising so it's likely to just be a case of working at it and the goals will come. We looked worn out at the end of last season, so with that in mind and the prospect of a European campaign, we need to sign a few more players and have a little squad depth. Ideally, had we signed more players by now we could have used them more in pre-season but now it'll have to be a case of getting them up to speed in the Premier League.

Ken: I will only start worrying if we don't score against Brentford. I will say this: am I the only one who thinks the rest of the squad are distant from Gibbs-White since he had his new deal? Murillo has been awful. David Carmo has been excellent. Awoniyi looks sharp, Hudson-Odoi looks disinterested. Nuno has remained silent. Morato surely has to go? Jesus has had so little service that he must be wondering why he came. Ndoye looked good.

Kevin: Absolutely terrified for the coming season. One goal across all those games? Barely any signings. I fear we maybe about to repeat the mid-90s when Forest finished third, ninth and then got relegated. Difficult times ahead for this season after what was a massive overachievement last term.

Ken: At the moment, very concerned. Our squad is still too light. What's worse is the lack of chances created for Igor, Jesus, Woody and Taiwo. If Nuno continues with this counter-attacking style, it won't work, teams have rumbled it. We should be going for Harvey Elliott and James McAtee as they are both creative. At the moment, Gibbs-White looks disinterested, Hudson-Odoi looks like he doesn't want to be there and Murillo looks like he is more interested in the London lifestyle than helping his club. If we make a bad start, I fear for Nuno, I really do. He needs to find a plan B, and quick.

Tony: Really concerned at how impotent Forest have looked in front of goal in pre-season. The whole team just do not seem to be in tune with each other. Last year they looked 'together' but not so much so far. The subs seemed to have a completely different mindset to the starting XI, who themselves seemed caught between last season's set-up and the new one deployed so far. Could be a big, bumpy landing next week if not sorted pronto.

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Nottingham Forest's place in the Europa League for this season has been confirmed after Crystal Palace lost their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) against being demoted from the competition.

Palace qualified for the Europa League after winning the FA Cup last season but were punished by Uefa for breaching multi-club ownership rules.

American businessman John Textor owned a 43% stake in the club until he sold it in July and is the majority owner of Lyon, who have also qualified for the Europa League.

As a result, Forest were moved from the Conference League into the Europa League, with the Eagles taking their place in the third-tier competition.

The ruling from Cas said:

• Regulations are clear and do not provide flexibility to clubs that are non-compliant on the assessment date, as Palace claimed.

• Textor still had decisive influence over both clubs at the time of Uefa's assessment date.

• The panel also dismissed Palace's argument that they received unfair treatment in comparison to Nottingham Forest and Lyon.

Nottingham Forest have made an offer for Monaco's 21-year-old French midfielder Soungoutou Magassa. (L'Equipe - in French), external

Kostas Tsimikas is edging nearer to leaving Liverpool after being left out of their Community Shield squad, with Nottingham Forest having been interested in the 29-year-old Greece left-back. (Echo), external

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