Nottingham Forest have now agreed a deal to sign an “exceptional” defender, who was at the City Ground yesterday to finalise the move, it has been revealed.
Forest looking to strengthen squad amid Nuno "concern"
Nuno Espirito Santo has repeatedly made it clear that he wants to bring more new signings through the door before the upcoming transfer deadline, recently saying: “There are things that I myself cannot control. What I said is, and I had a long thought about it, is my concern for the squad,”
“These boys last season achieved something fantastic. If we as a club don’t help them in terms of numbers, in terms of quality and talent, everything will go.”
The need for more fresh faces was underlined yesterday, with Forest suffering a shock 3-0 defeat at home against West Ham United, which is unlikely to have done the manager any favours heading into clear-the-air talks with owner Evangelos Marinakis.
There is also well-known to be a rift between Nuno and Edu, with the two falling out over which players to bring to the City Ground this summer, but there is now one deal thought to be edging towards completion.
According to transfer expert Pete O’Rourke on X, Nottingham Forest have now agreed a deal to sign Linfield and Northern Ireland U21 defender Matthew Orr, who was at the City Ground to watch the clash against West Ham on Sunday and finalise the move.
“Nottingham Forest have agreed a deal to sign Linfield and Northern Ireland Under-21 defender Matthew Orr. Orr is at the City Ground to finalise the move and is watching Forest’s game v West Ham.”
At just 18-years-old, the youngster is likely to be one for the future, but he has already started to catch the eye for Linfield at senior level.
"Exceptional" Orr could become "top player"
Linfield midfielder and coach Chris Shields has been left very impressed by the Forest-bound defender in the past, saying: “I remember Matty training – he was a sleight kid then, so I had to do a double take when he came into senior training. I was questioning if it was the same person because he had filled out over a couple of years.
“He’s met everything head on and his skill level at one-on-one defending is one of the best I’ve seen. He’s exceptional.”
Shields is not the only person who has singled the Linfield starlet out for praise either, with manager David Healy saying: “Matthew is a great young talent with a lot of potential to develop into a top player. He has taken his opportunities and his dedication and hard work have paid off.”
Despite still being a teenager, Orr, who shares the same CAA Base agency as Chris Wood, has already established himself as a first-team regular for Linfield, making 37 first-team appearances, so he is clearly a top prospect, who could be capable of pushing for a starting spot at Forest within a couple of years’ time.