Nottingham Forest must revisit January interest in El Arbi Hillel Soudani

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In January Nottingham Forest made a move to sign Algerian international frontman El Arbi Hillel Soudani of Dinamo Zagreb. Le Buteur suggested a move had been made for the player and that the 30-year-old was open to the move.

In the end, Forest did not get their man. Soudani remained with the Croatian side and went on to have a very productive season. He scored 18 goals in 35 games for the club as they won both the Croatian Cup and Croatian League titles. The talented attacker, who play anywhere along the frontline, was just continuing where he had left off in his previous seasons with the club – winning the player of the season in 2017.

The one thing Soudani always seems to guarantee is goals, which is why Nottingham Forest must revisit the possibility of signing the player this summer.

With 21 goals in 39 games for the Algerian national team, he is perhaps the unheralded hero of the Desert Foxes side. In his five seasons with Zagreb he has scored 86 goals from 197 appearances, many of which have come from the right-wing.

Nottingham Forest desperately need a goalscoring attacker for next season. Aitor Karanka did wonders for the defensive areas at City Ground after his arrival. The Reds were suddenly tough to score against, after being leaky under both Philippe Montanier and Mark Warburton.

But it seemed to come at the sacrifice of attacking intent, with five games in a row without a goal for the Tricky Trees.

But if Soudani arrives they will have an experienced goalscorer who has played at a World Cup and multiple times in Europe.

The time has surely come for Soudani to also try his hand in a bigger lead, as he turns 31 during the 2018-19 season.

This move comes at the perfect time for both Nottingham Forest and Soudani. At the right price, it is a move they must make happen.