Nottingham Forest have made some brilliant signings in recent seasons since their promotion back to the Premier League, spending a bucket load as they look to strengthen their side and avoid relegation.
So far, that has been a success for the East Midlands club. They are now into their third season in the top flight since promotion, and it has seen them finish out of the relegation zone twice in a row.
In 2022/23, Forest came 16th on 38 points, just two points clear of 18th place Leicester City, and 17th last season, six points ahead of relegated Luton Town.
There have certainly been some huge deals at the City Ground which have helped to just about keep Forest in the top flight. They have now had five transfer windows since coming up from the Championship and have signed a whooping 58 players, including free transfers and loan moves.
Perhaps the most notable of these was Morgan Gibbs-White. The attacking midfielder made the move across the Midlands to join Forest from Wolves for around £42.5m and has since become a key man for the former European Cup winners.
The 24-year-old has played 83 times for the club, scoring 12 goals and registering 18 assists. He is already off the mark this season and has been rewarded with a first England cap against Ireland on Saturday. Gibbs-White has been pivotal in their bid for survival so far.
Two of the other notable signings since promotion in 2021/22 were former Manchester United winger Anthony Elanga, who cost £15m, and Chelsea academy graduate Callum Hudson-Odoi, who signed for Forest on a three-year deal.
The wingers have already made waves in the Garibaldi Red so far, and that has seen a real spike in their transfer values. According to Transfermarkt, Sweden international Elanga is now worth £18.5m, and the former Chelsea attacker Hudson-Odoi was valued at a whopping £40m according to reports over the summer.
However, there has been another marquee signing at the City Ground during the past few years, who has proven to be an even better deal than the dynamic wingers.
Murillo’s transfer value in 2024
The player in question here is Brazilian centre-back Murillo. The 22-year-old joined the club from Brazilian outfit Corinthians for a fee in the region of £15m and signed a five-year contract in the East Midlands.
He has been superb for the club since joining last summer. The Brazilian, who is yet to be capped at international level, has made 39 appearances at the City Ground, helping to keep five clean sheets so far. He has yet to register a goal for the club.
Murillo’s impressive performances saw him slapped with a hefty £70m price tag over the summer by Forest. a rise of around 337% since his initial move. That asking price came in the midst of interest from West London outfit Chelsea, who considered a move for the defender.
That sees him valued at a higher price than any of his Forest teammates, including both Elanga and Hudson-Odoi, showing his impressive performances certainly had merit to them so far.
To make things even sweeter for Forest, he is amongst one of the lowest earners at the club. According to Capology, Muriallo is currently earning £30k per week, the ninth lowest amount in the Forest wage structure.
Forest wage brackets 2024/25 | |
|---|---|
Weekly wage | Player(s) |
£115k | Ward-Pwrose |
£105k | Milenkovic |
£80k | Hudson-Odoi, Gibbs-White |
£75k | Sangare |
£50k | Awoniyi, Williams |
£40k | Dennis, Boly, Aina |
£35k | Moreno, Omobamidele, Toffolo, Selz, Dominguez |
£30k | Murillo, Danilo |
£25k | Yates, Elanga |
Stats from Capology | |
Football scout Antonio Mango described the former Corinthians defender as a “commanding and productive” defender and should the East Midlands outfit decide to sell Murillo at some stage in the coming months, they can expect to get a healthy profit on the deal.
However, right now, he will play a key part in their Premier League survival for another season.
