Declan Rice, Hudson-Odoi react to message from Nottingham Forest ace Ola Aina
Arsenal star Declan Rice and Callum Hudson-Odoi reacted to a message from Nottingham Forest defender Ola Aina.
The Nigeria international enjoyed the finest season of his career last term and was one of the Premier League’s best fullbacks.
Aina’s strong defending perfectly complemented Neco Williams‘ offensive capabilities as Forest blew opponents away and peaked at third place in the Premier League table.
However, a disappointing end to the season saw the former Chelsea man and his teammates win just two of their final eight games in the league, condemning the Tricky Trees to a seventh-placed finish and a place in the Conference League as a consolation prize.
But that may change if Crystal Palace are removed from the European competition due to John Textor’s majority shareholding in both the Eagles and French side Lyon by UEFA, with an announcement expected soon.
If the London-based side are barred from entry into Europe, Forest would be primed to take their spot in the Europa League.
Ola Aina shares message on social media
The 28-year-old fullback started in 35 games last season in the Premier League, only missing three fixtures due to injury.
And following a busy season, Aina took to Instagram to share some photos from his time off in a post captioned: “Some film”.
The post was liked by Rice and Forest teammate Hudson-Odoi.
New Ola Aina contract vital for Nottingham Forest
Football Insider Verdict
It has been a miserable past week for Forest fans as Anthony Elanga has agreed a deal to join Newcastle, and Morgan Gibbs-White looks set to be Tottenham-bound.
However, amidst the gloom is the silver lining of Aina’s contract extension that will keep the defender at the City Ground until 2028.
The Nigerian fullback was truly instrumental to the way Santo likes to play and few modern fullbacks have his defensive abilities.
The Portuguese manager likes his team to move the ball forward at a breakneck speed, leaving their backline exposed to a counter-attack.
Aina’s ability to operate like a third centre-back would have been remarkably difficult to replace, even with the boosted transfer kitty available after the big-money departures.