Ange Postecoglou is the new Nottingham Forest boss – and he could now unleash a striker recently targeted by Tottenham Hotspur.
Evangelos Marinakis has made two major decisions at Nottingham Forest this week, and you could argue that both were actually fairly predictable.
Nuno Espirito Santo was axed as Forest boss in the early hours of Tuesday morning, following weeks of tension with Marinakis.
Marinakis is a big fan of Ange Postecoglou, and it was little surprise to see the Australian named as Nuno’s successor mere hours after his sacking.
Postecoglou has landed Nick Montgomery as part of his coaching staff, alongside a number of other former Spurs coaches, and is now preparing for this weekend’s clash with Arsenal.
Ange Postecoglou can now unleash Arnaud Kalimuendo at Nottingham Forest
How Postecoglou fares at Forest will be fascinating, given that they thrived in a fairly low block and with a focus on counter-attacking football.
Postecoglou’s style of football is virtually the polar opposite of Nuno’s, and that could mean major changes to how Forest line up.
Former Spurs target Morgan Gibbs-White should still play a key role, but Chris Wood could be under threat.
Wood has been a brilliant goalscorer at the City Ground, but Forest snapped up Arnaud Kalimuendo from Stade Rennais in August.
Kalimuendo looks to be a great fit for Postecoglou in terms of his penalty box prowess and ability to press from the front.
Wood certainly isn’t as mobile as Kalimuendo and may not be the best fit for the pressing play that Postecoglou seeks at the top end of the pitch.
Kalimuendo hit 17 league goals for Rennes last season, but has only played 20 minutes across two substitute appearances for Forest.
The 23-year-old is looking for his big chance in the Premier League, and it may well come under Postecoglou, who may see shades of his former strikers Dominic Solanke and Kyogo Furuhashi in aspects of Kalimuendo’s play.
Forest clearly see a bright future for Kalimuendo, and while it may take some time for him to emerge as he settles in, the Frenchman could become Forest’s first-choice striker after this managerial change.
Tottenham Hotspur eyed Arnaud Kalimuendo
Postecoglou should be excited to work with Kalimuendo, and Forest will be delighted to have secured his services.
Reports over the summer suggested that Tottenham Hotspur – Postecoglou’s former club – were interested in Kalimuendo over the summer.
Spurs made enquiries into signing Kalimuendo, who was raised in the Paris Saint-Germain youth ranks.
Forest managed to win the race, but another French forward ended up in North London as Tottenham snapped up Randal Kolo Muani.
Postecoglou could have easily been watching Kalimuendo from afar in a Spurs shirt, but he will instead be in charge of his development at Forest – and will look to turn him into a Premier League star.