When Nottingham Forest were staring relegation in the face with six or so games remaining of the 22/23 Premier League season, it was clear that a change in personnel or tactics was required from Steve Cooper in order to get the fighting spirit back into The Reds.
A change of style from the midfield seemed to be the main catalyst of Forest's eventual success, shifting away from the relaxed pace-setting style of midfielders like Jonjo Shelvey and Remo Freuler and into the energetic and battling attitudes displayed by Danilo and Orel Mangala.
This shift in dynamic eventually proved successful as Forest retained their Premier League status with a game to spare with wins over Brighton and Arsenal, as well as a draw to Chelsea to outweigh an away loss to Brentford, a run that ended a spell of eleven games without a win that has seen Forest slink into the bottom three.
In that barren run, we typically saw Forest deploy a flat three in a midfield featuring Shelvey and Freuler, with Mangala or, when fit, Yates slotted in to provide energy and provide the dirty work whilst the other two tried to dictate the pace of the game and transition play calmly.
A system such as that may have benefitted a side that saw a lot of the ball and had the time to build play slowly, but that system was not befitting of Forest's league position, and such a change was made.
With that change spurring The Reds onto such divine form that eventually confirmed that they will compete in the top flight once again, it's perfectly understandable to see them now linked with Tyler Adams of relegated Leeds United.
Out injured since March, the American was sorely missed by his side as they were shunned into the Championship on the final day of the season, with his compatriot Weston McKennie failing to impress in his place on his loan from Juventus.
Averaging a massive 3.7 tackles per game across his 24 Premier League appearances this season, as well as 1.5 interceptions and a total pass accuracy of 82%, the blend of energy and confidence in possession would suit the new style of midfield brought about by Cooper comfortably.
However, with a few clubs in the race to sign the USA star, and with the price tag set at around £18m, we had a look around Europe to pick out 5 more midfielders that Nottingham Forest could turn towards that fit the system as well as Danilo and Orel Mangala.
We're looking for midfielders with a dangerous combination of playmaking ability, confidence and work-rate, that aren't nearing the end of their careers and won't set the club back too much money.
Hicham Boudaoui - OGC Nice
An elegant and composed central midfielder hailing from Algeria, Hicham Boudaoui (pronounced boo-dar-we) is certainly one to watch in the markets this summer.
Averaging an impressive 2.5 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per game in Ligue 1 this season, the 23-year-old has shown the exact blend of defensive and offensive skills required to operate in a Cooper system.
Debuting in 2018 for Algerian side Paradou FC, the then-18-year-old prodigy quickly made his name with his energetic midfield displays, mixed in with a wide range of passing and a deep box of tricks.
Compared directly against current midfield favourite Danilo, the man from Bechar registers an extra tackle and 0.6 interceptions a game more than the Brazilian over a longer stretch of games, as well as a massive 90% average pass success rate compared to his 64%, and a dribble and duel success rate of around 50%, which would rank him in the upper half of Premier League midfielders (but not higher than Danilo).
In summary, Boudaoui is a quick, dynamic central midfielder capable of deployment across a number of roles in the the centre of the park. With a number of clubs seemingly interested in Nice's young star, a move to the City Ground looks like a hypothetical perfect fit.
Bitello - Gremio
In keeping with the Forest theme of turning to Brazil for their talents, with the likes of Gustavo Scarpa and the aforementioned Danilo arriving directly from the league itself, the next entry onto the list is Gremio's 23-year-old dynamo Bitello.
Barely born this century with his January 7th 2000 birthday, the Brazilian central midfielder leaves plenty to suggest his talents to a number of watching eyes, including those of French side Monaco, who are believed to have registered an offer for the youngster already.
A creative central player with a fantastic eye for for a pass, Bitello registered a passing average of 86% in his Brazilian league bouts this campaign so far, as well as displaying some fantastic trickery up and down the channels from his midfield spot.
Usually operating on the right-hand-side of an attacking midfield three, Bitello operates in the quarter-spaces at the top of the box, showcasing intense pace and sublime skill to draw defenders in and create space for his teammates, in a very similar fashion to our own Morgan Gibbs-White.
A more attacking option he certainly may be, but with the big leagues starting to take notice of Bitello, it could be a very smooth move for Nottingham Forest to register their interest this summer.
Angelo Stiller - Hoffenheim
One of the star players from the ongoing U21 European Championships, Angelo Stiller is a young man with a bright future ahead of him.
Born in Munich and moulded in the Bayern academy, the 22-year-old box-to-box man never got his breakthrough into senior football at the home of the Bundesliga champions, instead furrowing his way forward after a move to Hoffenheim.
From there, he has since racked up 42 Bundesliga appearance alongside his breakthrough into the German U21 squad, having featured for all of Germany's academy ranks up until that point.
A strong, tough-tackling central midfielder, we have seen Stiller deployed mostly on the left-hand side of a midfield three, similar to where we have mostly seen Orel Mangala stationed in the twilight of Forest's Premier League relegation battle.
His runs from deep and accurate passing statistics (83% in all competitions this season) are blended with fantastic athleticism and energy, a cocktail of attributes that Steve Cooper will likely continue to search for in his midfielders across the coming season.
Stiller has also had a fine Euros campaign so far, registering an assist versus Israel in game one and notching his first Germany U21 goal in the second game against the Czech Republic.
In all, Stiller looks to be a future midfield anchor for a top team one day. His early leadership and profound strength look to make him well-suited for the physical nature of the Premier League, and particularly in a Nottingham Forest midfield.
Denis Zakaria - Juventus
Moving away from the young up-and-comers and moving towards a player with more experience, the next player on our list is Swiss Juventus midfielder Denis Zakaria.
Following his fantastic years in Germany with Gladbach, the 26-year-old made the jump to Turin following a fantastic first-half to the 2021-2022 season, but failed to make a proper breakthrough to his life in Italy.
A loan move to Chelsea soon followed, but a bizarre wait until November for his debut followed, where he scored the winner in The Blues' Champions League clash with Dinamo Zagreb.
Fitness issues and a low spot in the pecking order spelled out a lack of appearances for Zakaria in the Premier League last season, but he largely impressed with the showings he did make, including his showing at the City Ground itself (pictured).
With Zakaria unlikely to make a breakthrough at Juventus anytime soon, a hopeful bid from Forest would make perfect sense. Standing at 6 feet 3 inches, Zakaria is an immensely strong and pacey holding midfielder who is very comfortable on the ball, winning over 60% of his duels in all competitions and over 50% of his dribbles, matched with a pass accuracy of 86%.
A move to Nottingham may be a longshot, but with the club securing signatures of the likes of Renan Lodi, Keylor Navas and Jesse Lingard last term, it would not come as a shock to me to see one more big calibre signing come through the doors of the World Famous, and Denis Zakaria may be one of the smartest ones yet. He is valued at around £20m, but may be available for loan again.
Julien De Sart - Gent
Looking towards the Belgian leagues for the final admission to our list, introducing Julien De Sart.
Those who keep a very keen eye on English football may remember the Belgian midfielder from his days at Middlesbrough, where he failed to make a proper breakthrough in neither the Championship or Premiership.
These days, however, De Sart has carved himself out as a classy yet devastatingly effective defensive midfielder, leading the majority of the league in defensive contributions whilst also showing off plenty of capability further up the park.
Winning a massive 3.2 tackles a game alongside 1.9 interceptions, De Sart uses all the strength and energy his 6'2 frame provides him with, completing 90 minutes in almost all of his 22 league starts this season. Compared to those in the Nottingham Forest midfield, he ranks higher than all in this area.
A Rolls-Royce type of midfielder, composure on the ball is also one of his bigger strengths, completing a whopping 85% of his attempted dribbles along with a passing accuracy of 83%.
With a market value of around £12m, De Sart would provide a lower-priced and yet still very capable option to bolster the centre of Forest's line-up, while he enters the prime of his career at 28 years of age following on the most successful years of his career.
Do you agree with the players on our list? Let us know in the replies below? Disagree with our selctions? Shout at me on Twitter at @LouisWheeldonNS!
