Nottingham Forest are desperate to finish in the Championship’s top six and signing Aberdeen defender Scott McKenna would certainly help.
Sabri Lamouchi clearly feels that attack is the best form of defence.
The new Nottingham Forest manager might have arrived at the City Ground as something of an unknown quantity but his tactics are becoming clearer by the week – and they are far removed from Martin O’Neill’s old-school pragmatism.
Lamouchi wants his team to dominate the ball, press high and build up from the back rather than simply lump the ball onto the head of Daryl Murphy.
And it is the changing role of the centre-backs who perhaps epitomise the biggest changes introduced by the former Ivory Coast manager.
Speaking to the Nottingham Post, club captain Michael Dawson has allowed fans a peak behind the curtain, pointing out that Forest’s defenders are being coached to pass the ball out from the back and take risks in possession.
It is a style that certainly fits Scott McKenna, the Aberdeen defender who Forest made a £3 million bid for this week, according to the Daily Record.
“Scott has excellent distribution and a sweet left foot when he’s allowed to play it,” Dons legend Willie Miller told Football Scotland in February.
Make no mistake, passing is certainly an underrated part of the £10 million-rated McKenna’s game. The 22-year-old, who captained Scotland in only his fourth international appearance, has been rightly lauded for his formidable aerial presence and leadership skills but he’s very much a modern-day centre-back too.
And with Lamouchi looking to bring in a more proactive style at Nottingham Forest, McKenna could be the man who epitomises the coach’s tactics more than any other.
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