Nottingham Forest’s first Premier League season in 24 years saw them narrowly avoid the drop, finishing 16th in the table and escaping relegation by four points, whilst their second season back in the topflight would see them finish 17th.
With the club unable to splurge in the 2024 summer transfer window due to financial restrictions, many tipped the Tricky Trees for another relegation scrap.
Instead, Forest has emerged as the surprise package of the first half of the 2024-25 campaign. They have won five straight Premier League matches for the first time since 1995, and they are sitting pretty in third place. Many factors are behind their long-awaited resurgence, but one of the biggest reasons has been the stellar displays of Ola Aina in defense.
Born in London to Nigerian parents, Aina rose through the ranks for Chelsea and England’s youth teams, helping Chelsea win the Barclays U21 Premier League, two FA Youth Cups, and two UEFA Youth League titles.
After a decade at Cobham, Aina joined Championship side Hull City on loan in 2017 – that same year, he decided to switch over from England and represent Nigeria. Since then, he has achieved 40 caps and represented the Super Eagles in three different editions of the Africa Cup of Nations.
A Defensive Dynamo: Ola Aina’s Impact on Forest’s European Dream
After cutting his teeth in England’s second tier, Aina took his talents to Serie A and joined Torino, where he impressed as a right-sided and left-sided wingback and steered them to a seventh-place finish and qualification to the UEFA Europa League. It was enough for Torino to trigger their £9 million purchase option and sign him permanently, with Aina solidifying his status as one of the first names on the team sheet.
“Ola Aina’s biggest trait is his versatility,” said Nigerian journalist Oma Akatugba in an interview with RG. “He’s solid on both the left and right sides of the defense and brings a lot of athleticism to his game
Aina returned to London and joined Fulham on loan for the 2020-21 season, but although he managed 2 goals and 1 assist in 31 Premier League appearances, he was unable to keep them afloat in the top-flight. He returned to Italy and matured under the watchful eye of Ivan Jurić, refining his crossing skills and becoming a reliable figure in defense, before eventually joining Nottingham Forest on a free transfer in the summer of 2023.
He emerged as a consistent performer at the City Ground and excelled in Nigeria’s run to the 2024 AFCON Final, being named in the Team of the Tournament.
This season, however, Aina has taken his performances to another level – he’s already scored as many goals (2) as he did in the previous three seasons combined, whilst he’s nearly made as many appearances (19) for Forest as he did in the entirety of 2023-24 (22).
Last season, Aina was shoehorned into his weaker side – the left side of defense – and still emerged as a serviceable performer for the Reds.
This season, he’s gotten the chance to perform on his preferred right side, and Forest have reaped the rewards. Aina ranks third in Forest’s squad for accurate passes per game (25.7), completing 81% of his attempts, whilst he sits atop the roster for interceptions per 90 (1.3) alongside Álex Moreno.
A speedy, versatile figure, Aina has the stamina to burst forward and whip in a precise delivery into the box, before hustling back and defending transitions.
“[Nottingham Forest manager] Nuno Espírito Santo builds his teams around defensive solidity and controlling the midfield area, without relying heavily on attacking football, and while he prefers the 4-2-3-1 formation, he adjusts his system depending on the opponent,” said Akatugba.
“While Aina may prefer to attack, his versatility makes him capable of adapting to Nuno’s tactical flexibility. He sometimes pushes forward without recovering in time, leaving his side of the defense exposed, and he also needs to be more aggressive in physical duels. However, he has shown significant growth in terms of tactical understanding and how he approaches the game.
The Stats Behind Ola Aina’s Breakout Season
At 28 years of age, Ola Aina is in the best form of his career and has emerged as an indispensable figure for club and country, and the proof is in the pudding. He’s already racked up more Expected Goals (0.58), Expected Assists (1.14) and Big Chances Created (2) than the entirety of last season (0.27), (1.03), (0), whilst he’s also averaging more long balls per 90 (1.1) and crosses per 90 (0.4) than in 2023-24 (0.9), (0.3). Aina is a dependable figure in 1v1 situations and has helped to subdue the likes of Heung-min Son, Luis Díaz, and Iliman Ndiaye this season, and he’s done the dirty work in high-pressure scenarios with 2.6 clearances per 90, 2.1 tackles per 90, and 5.7 recoveries per 90.
He has staked his claim as one of the finest right-backs in England, and it could be a matter of time before he departs West Bridgford for a bigger club.
Liverpool need a right-back with Trent Alexander-Arnold set to leave on a free transfer, and between Kyle Walker’s declining performances and Reece James’ injury woes, both Manchester City and Chelsea could be in the market as well.
However, with Aina’s contract set to expire on June 30, Forest could very well be resigned to losing their Nigerian defender for free.
Whether Ola Aina will extend his contract or depart for greener pastures in the summer remains to be seen.
Still, for now, he will continue delivering the goods for a Forest side that is on course to return to European football for the first time in three decades.
By Zach Lowy
