Nottingham Forest sign trio of attacking talent: Premier League Done Deals August 13th - 20th
- Angus Kearney
- Aug 20
- 6 min read
The Premier League kicked off in style over the weekend, starting with a six-goal thriller at Anfield on Friday night as Liverpool beat Bournemouth 4-2. But despite matches kicking off, squads are far from set, as the summer transfer window doesn’t shut until September 1st. As teams' weaknesses become clearer in competitive play, owners may start to get desperate, which should lead to a frantic final few days. In the meantime, here are all the confirmed deals from last week.
Omari Hutchinson - Ipswich to Nottingham Forest, £37.5m
It was a huge week at Nottingham Forest, who, after losing Anthony Elanga to Newcastle earlier in the window, completed three attacking signings for over £100m. The first and most expensive of the trio is 21-year-old attacking midfielder Omari Hutchinson, who signs from Ipswich Town in a deal worth £37.5m.
Hutchinson began his career in Arsenal’s academy before leaving to join Chelsea in 2020. He made only two short appearances for Chelsea in the 2022/23 season before signing for Ipswich Town on loan in 2023/24. After a successful first season in the Championship, Hutchinson signed permanently for Ipswich Town last year.
In a poor Ipswich Town team, Hutchinson showed flashes of potential and finished with three goals and two assists, tied as the second most productive Ipswich Town player behind Liam Delap. He often played out on the right-hand side, but is capable on the left or behind the striker.
If there is doubt about Nottingham Forest’s quality, they put those to bed with a brilliant performance in their 3-1 win against Brentford over the weekend. So, Hutchinson isn’t a signing who will immediately slot into the starting 11; he’ll need to prove himself. However, he’s an exciting youngster and a good coup for Forest.
James McAtee - Man City to Nottingham Forest, £30m
The second of their three is a player of a very similar profile, 22-year-old attacking midfielder James McAtee, who signed from Manchester City for £30m. Similar to Hutchinson, McAtee spent two seasons with Sheffield United, the first in the Championship, where he performed well, and the second in the Premier League, where he showed glimpses of quality in a struggling side.
Unlike Hutchinson, McAtee spent a full season in and amongst the Manchester City first team last year. He made 15 Premier League appearances last season and scored three goals. A fast, direct, young player with brilliant dribbling ability, McAtee is certainly the kind of player who could develop into a star at Nottingham Forest.
Again, and this is probably a good thing for Nottingham Forest, McAtee probably doesn’t start immediately, with Morgan Gibbs-White a given to play in the ten, and the experience of Callum Hudson-Odoi and Dan Ndoye probably favored on the wings. So McAtee is likely to provide a boost of quality off the bench at first, with hopes of showing he deserves a spot in the starting 11.
Arnaud Kalimuendo - Rennes to Nottingham Forest, £25m
The final addition from Nottingham Forest is the least well-known to Premier League fans, but no less promising. 23-year-old French striker Arnaud Kalimuendo joins Forest from Rennes in a deal worth £25m.
Kalimuendo developed in the Paris Saint-Germain academy before joining fellow Ligue 1 club Rennes in 2022. In three seasons, the striker scored 40 goals in 112 appearances. He also played for France in the 2024 Summer Olympics, and appeared 24 times for the U21s, scoring eight goals.
Just 5’9, Kalimuendo is more of a speedy technical striker than an out-and-out forward like Chris Wood, so he could struggle against more physical Premier League defenses. However, he’s great in transition, so he offers an option for Nuno Espirito Santo off the bench later in games. It’s exciting for Forest, who, with this trio, could theoretically have their front three for the future.
Dango Ouattara - Bournemouth to Brentford, £42m
Despite losing last season’s top scorer, Bryan Mbeumo, to Manchester United, Brentford hadn’t signed any attacking players until this week, announcing the signing of Bournemouth winger Dango Ouattara for a club record fee.
Brentford were in desperate need of additional threat in attack, which Outtara provides. The 23-year-old Burkina Faso international made 32 Premier League appearances for Bournemouth last campaign, scoring seven goals and adding four assists. He pushed for a move away from the club after reportedly not feeling trusted by manager Andoni Iraola, according to The Athletic.
Outtara provides a big dose of pace and quality to a Brentford attack that’s losing a lot of what made them so successful last season. He’s a good signing for Brentford, and is the right age and profile, but whereas at Bournemouth he was one of a few attacking threats, at Brentford, he’ll be one of, if not the main man. It’s a step up in responsibility for the youngster, but one that he has the quality to rise to.
Evann Guessand - Nice to Aston Villa, £28m
Aston Villa confirmed the signing of Ivorian forward Evann Guessand from Nice for £28m. The 24-year-old can play in a wide variety of positions, often appearing on the right wing for Nice last year, but is also capable of playing as a traditional striker or a ten.
After Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio returned to their parent clubs, and Leon Bailey joined Roma on loan, Villa were looking to add an attacking threat on the flanks to their squad.
Villa’s attack was lacklustre against Newcastle in their 0-0 draw at the weekend, and the flair and ability to take players on that Guessand showcased for Nice could’ve been useful in place of John McGinn, who started on the right side behind Ollie Watkins.
Guessand scored 12 goals and added nine assists in 33 Ligue 1 appearances last season, his first as a regular for Nice after loan spells with Nantes and Lausanne. Provided he can adapt to the Premier League, he should prove a useful addition to the Villa squad.
Giovanni Leoni - Parma to Liverpool, £26m
After a summer of adding exciting, forward-thinking players, Liverpool confirmed the signing of 18-year-old Italian center back Giovanni Leoni from Parma. The teenager broke into the Parma first team in the latter half of last season, performing well and helping the team stave off relegation.
Despite their blockbuster attack, Liverpool showed signs of weakness in defense in both their Community Shield defeat to Crystal Palace and their Premier League victory over Bournemouth, especially on the counter. So it makes sense that they’ve added a defender into the mix.
But at just 18 years old, it’s a lot to ask of Leoni to step in and improve the Liverpool back four, so Arne Slott may choose to protect the young player's confidence with short cameo appearances off the bench for the foreseeable future.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin - Everton to Leeds, free
Long-serving Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin signed for newly promoted Leeds United this week after leaving Everton upon the conclusion of his contract this summer. He’s now the second striker to join Leeds this summer after Frank Nmecha, who scored in the side's 1-0 win over Everton on Monday night.
Calvert-Lewin scored 71 goals in 273 appearances for Everton in almost a decade at the club. His best return came in 2020/21 under Carlo Ancelotti, when the 6′ 2 striker who excels in the air scored 16 Premier League goals and earned a place in the England team for the European Championships.
At 28 years old, Calvert-Lewin should be in the prime of his career. But he’s struggled massively with injuries over the last four years, and his goal return has suffered from the lack of consistency. The challenge for Leeds will be keeping him fit, but if they can, they’re getting a striker who's experienced at this level and capable of adding goals to the side.
Ben Gannon Doak - Liverpool to Bournemouth, £25m
After losing Dango Outtara to Brentford, Bournemouth confirmed the signing of 19-year-old Scottish right-winger Ben Doak for a fee of £25m. Doak joined Liverpool from Celtic in 2022 and made ten appearances for the side before spending last year on loan with Middlesbrough.
He had a good season in the Championship last year, scoring three goals and adding seven assists in 24 appearances with Middlesbrough. Unfortunately, the winger picked up a hamstring injury in February, which caused him to miss the second half of the season. It was the second big injury the 19-year-old has sustained in his short career after tearing his meniscus the year before.
Making sure he’s fit will be first on the agenda for Bournemouth. But if he can get a good run of games off the bench for Bournemouth, he’ll be fun to watch, and at such a young age, he’s got the natural talent to develop into a solid Premier League winger.
Tom King - Wolves to Everton, undisclosed
Everton confirmed the signing of 30-year-old reserve goalkeeper Tom King from Wolves for an undisclosed fee.
King joins Everton to partner Mark Travers as backups for England number one and long-serving Everton keeper Jordan Pickford.
Check back next Wednesday with Grubby Balls for all the Premier League's latest confirmed deals!
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