Nottingham Forest have got off to a fairly strong start, winning two and drawing two of their opening four Premier League fixtures. Their two victories came versus newly promoted Southampton and Liverpool, with draws against Bournemouth and Wolves.
All three of their fixtures have been tight, scoring three goals and conceding two. The defensive unit has looked fairly tight, with real quality in attack, especially on the counter, with Anthony Elanga, Morgan Gibbs-White, and Callum Hudson-Odoi.
One of their key defenders is Ola Aina, who made 22 appearances for Forest last season, scoring one goal, providing one assist, and contributing to two clean sheets in his 1,701 minutes played.
That said, he’s not quite as good as one player who departed Trentside a number of years ago…
Matty Cash at Forest
Matty Cash joined Forest in 2014, making his jump to senior football in 2016, spending a few months on loan at Dagenham & Redbridge, making 12 appearances, scoring three goals and providing three assists.
He then went on to make 141 appearances for Forest in four years at senior level, scoring 13 goals, and providing 14 assists in 9,900 minutes played for the club. It’s safe to say he was a pretty fine addition to the squad.
However, the impressive form of Cash attracted an offer of around £16m in 2020 for the Poland international, giving him the chance to play in the Premier League, an offer both Forest and Cash couldn’t refuse.
Cash vs Aina comparison
Cash and Aina are both 27-years-old, both play right-back, and are both a similar height. However, Cash is worth more than double Aina, according to Transfermarkt’s market value.
The current Villa star is currently valued at £24m, whilst the Nigeria international is only valued at £10m. So, how do they compare from a statistical point of view as well?
Cash vs Aina 2023/24 comparison | ||
|---|---|---|
Stats (per 90 mins) | Cash | Aina |
Goals | 0.11 | 0.05 |
Assists | 0.08 | 0.05 |
Progressive Carries | 2.69 | 2.82 |
Progressive Passes | 4.19 | 3.62 |
Total Shots | 1.38 | 0.59 |
Key Passes | 0.66 | 0.59 |
Crosses into Penalty Area | 0.28 | 0.32 |
Shot-Creating Actions | 1.84 | 2.02 |
Tackles | 2.06 | 2.50 |
Interceptions | 0.75 | 0.96 |
Stats taken from FBref | ||
When comparing the two player’s metrics from the 2023/24 season, it is important to note Cash played double the number of games of Aina (44 to Aina’s 22) and, in turn, double the minutes, 3,257 minutes to 1,692.
Shot-creating actions are pieces of play that lead to a shot. These include moments such as a pass, take-on or foul being drawn.
So, where does he come out on top? Well, Cash excels in his attacking metrics, providing more goals and assists per 90, playing more key passes, and making more progressive passes per 90. He also takes more shots which shows that the former Forest defender finds himself in attacking areas more often, and isn’t afraid to release the trigger.
Aina, however, does excel in defensive metrics, averaging more tackles and interceptions than Cash per 90, perhaps indicative of the amount of defending each team does. That said, he is a threat going forward too, averaging more progressive carries compared to Cash, and more crosses into the penalty area per 90.
Whilst both players have their strengths, and Aina is doing a fantastic job for Forest at right-back, Cash being valued at more than double is telling of their quality, and could perhaps have offered even more going forward for this already dynamic Forest attack.
Where Are They Now
Wondering where your most loved or hated players are now? Football FanCast’s Where Are They Now series is here to help.
