Why Nottingham Forest signing Nicolas Pallois would make little sense
According to claims from French outlet L’Equipe via Sport Witness, as cited by Nottinghamshire Live, Nottingham Forest have been credited with an interest in Nicolas Pallois, who currently plies his trade with Nantes in Ligue 1.
However, as per the report, Nantes are not keen to sanction a mid-season departure for the 32-year-old central defender, who has a contract at the club until the summer of 2022.
The report further adds that Lamouchi has a good knowledge of Pallois’ abilities back from his managerial days in France and he has now set his sights on luring the veteran away from his homeland for the first time in his career.
Pallois, who initially made his mark in the Ligue 1 with Valenciennes, spent three fruitful seasons at Bordeaux and also featured in the Europa League before completing a move to domestic rivals Nantes back in the summer of 2017.
Regarded as a seasoned-campaigner in his homeland, the 32-year-old has clocked up a total of 80 appearances for Nantes in all competitions so far. Pallois has started 17 out of Nantes’ 19 Ligue 1 fixtures this season while also racking up some impressive numbers.
As per whoscored, the centre-back boasts of a pass success rate of 83.8%, including 2.1 aerial duels, 2.3 tackles, 1.7 interceptions, 3.5 clearances and 4.3 long balls per game in the Ligue 1.
With that in mind, however, it is really difficult to understand Nottingham Forest’s links with Nicolas Pallois, given that the Reds are not really crying out for immediate reinforcements at the heart of the defence.
Marshalled by the reliable central defensive pairing of veteran Michael Dawson and academy graduate Joe Worrall, the Reds have only conceded a miserly 23 goals in 22 league fixtures so far this season. They have adequate alternatives in their reserves too.
Summer recruit Chema Rodriguez has found regular minutes hard to come by due to the flourishing partnership of Worrall and Dawson at the back while Tobias Figueiredo has stepped in with some commanding displays whenever called upon by the manager.
Alexander Milosevic recently had his contract mutually terminated after failing to break into Lamouchi’s plans for the ongoing campaign but Forest still have some deadwood in their ranks when it comes to the centre-back department.
Despite being accomplished defenders with plenty of experience, Michael Hefele and Yohan Benalouane are yet to kick a ball this season and Forest would probably need to sell before they bring in another centre-back.
Verdict
Nicolas Pallois is a proven performer in the French top-flight but it’s hard to see how he could possibly fit into Lamouchi’s plans.
Furthermore, Pallois is nearing the autumn of his career at 32. Given that he hasn’t previously played professional football outside of his homeland, there is a possibility that he might struggle to cope with the demands of playing in the highly-competitive atmosphere in England.
It’s important that the Reds weigh up their moves carefully in January and keep themselves away from playing gambles.
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Suffice to say, Nottingham Forest’s interest in Nicolas Pallois seems to have all the makings of a complete disaster in January.
