Nottingham Forest could axe 6ft3 star who's earning more than Murillo

Nottingham Forest could axe 6ft3 star who’s earning more than Murillo

Nottingham Forest have had a tough time in recent seasons trying to replace a club legend who left the City Ground after promotion back in 2022.

Brice Samba played a pivotal role in helping Nottingham Forest end their 23-year Premier League exile, with his most impressive performance in a Forest shirt coming in his penultimate game for the club during the play-off semi-final victory over Sheffield United.

Samba made three crucial saves during normal and extra time, before making himself a hero during the penalty shootout. He saved spot kicks from Oliver Norwood, Conor Hourihane and now Forest player Morgan Gibbs-White, sending the club to Wembley and subsequently winning promotion.

However, after the play-off final, Samba decided he wanted to return to France, with the ‘keeper departing and joining Ligue 1 side Lens for £4m – an absolute bargain for the French side.

The club made two loan signings for the goalkeeper position for the Premier League campaign, with Dean Henderson and Keylor Navas arriving on loan but not staying permanently.

Related

Nottingham Forest will rue losing one GK who’s a bigger talent than Samba

Nottingham Forest will regret not signing this goalkeeper.

This left them short in the goalkeeping department, with the club dipping back into the market last summer.

Matt Turner’s record at Nottingham Forest

The Reds decided to buy goalkeeper Matt Turner during the summer from fellow Premier League side Arsenal for a deal rising to £10m with add-ons.

Turner, a USA international, has made 21 appearances for the club since his arrival, conceding 31 times with multiple errors coming from the ‘keeper himself.

His mistake against Tottenham for Dejan Kulusevski’s goal is just one of a number of errors he’s made, with the former Arsenal man struggling to nail down the Forest starting position.

That was one of three mistakes leading to a goal that the USMNT star has made in 2023/24, a figure that puts him close to the top of the tree in the top flight.

Most errors leading to a goal: 2023/24 PL season

Player

Error count

#1 Wes Foderingham

5

#2 Nathan Collins

4

#3 Matt Turner

3

#4 Trent Alexander-Arnold

2

#5 Alisson, Botman, Sa, Raya, Ream

2

Stats via Premier League.

His errors saw the club buy goalkeeper Matz Sels on deadline day in January, with Turner back down to the number two role – just as he was during his time at the Emirates.

How much Matt Turner has cost Nottingham Forest

On top of his £10m transfer fee, the club also paid for Turner’s weekly wages. The 29-year-old signed a four-year deal last summer, with the American being handed a weekly wage of £40k – a figure higher than impressive teammates Murillo and Anthony Elanga.

Should the former Arsenal ‘keeper see out his whole contract at the City Ground, the club will have paid him a staggering £8.3m in wages – a ridiculous amount for a goalkeeper who has been poor since his arrival.

Nottingham Forest’s highest earners

Player

Weekly salary

#1 Divock Origi

£120k

#2 Morgan Gibbs-White

£80k

#3 Felipe

£80k

#4 Chris Wood

£80k

#5 Callum Hudson-Odoi

£80k

#6 Ibrahim Sangare

£75k

Data via Capology.

The deal for Turner at the time certainly raised eyebrows, with the Reds spending a decent chunk of money on a player who had never previously been a consistent number one in England’s top flight.

Overall, the deal for the USA number one has been a failure, with the ‘keeper already dropping down the pecking order just seven months after he arrived on Trentside.

The club should be looking to cut their losses on Turner this summer, selling the former Arsenal man and reevaluating the goalkeeping situation throughout the transfer window.