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“Leicester Set to Battle Nottingham Forest for 57-Goal Sensation Ruud van Nistelrooy Can’t Stop Raving About
Leicester City should aim to beat their old rivals, Nottingham Forest, to a key transfer target this January.
The East Midlands derby, which has been contested since 1901, saw Nottingham Forest thrash Leicester City 5-1 in the FA Cup. It wasn’t until 1912 that Leicester secured their first-ever victory over Forest. Since then, the rivalry has been fairly balanced, with Leicester winning 41 matches, Forest 42, and 27 games ending in draws.
However, in the 2024/25 season, there’s a significant gap in quality between the two teams, highlighted by Leicester’s 3-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest on October 25th. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side currently sits fourth in the Premier League, 14 points ahead of Leicester in 17th.
While it’s unlikely Leicester will finish above Forest this season, they can still compete with their rivals in the transfer market.
Leicester Should Compete with Forest for Johan Bakayoko According to recent reports from Caught Offside, Nottingham Forest are interested in signing Johan Bakayoko. Newcastle United are also said to be monitoring the winger, but Leicester should aim to secure the talented forward.
Bakayoko began his youth career in Belgium before joining PSV Eindhoven in January 2020. Since then, he has made 181 appearances for the Dutch club, scoring 57 goals and providing 40 assists. The 21-year-old has already netted five goals and contributed one assist in 14 Eredivisie matches this season and could bring much-needed pace and flair to Leicester’s wings, especially with Abdul Fatawu’s injury.
What Ruud van Nistelrooy Has Said About Johan Bakayoko Before becoming Leicester’s manager, Ruud van Nistelrooy was in charge of PSV during the 2022/23 season, where he won two domestic cups. Van Nistelrooy worked closely with Bakayoko, who impressed by scoring 14 goals and assisting 14 in 48 matches across all competitions.
Van Nistelrooy praised Bakayoko’s ability, saying: “You can see that he has power and also a good shot. He plays such controlled football that you forget he’s only 18. If he continues to invest in his game, he’s on the right track to join the first team by the end of the season.”
