Talented 18-year-old shines and Nottingham Forest have a real gem – Opinion

Friendlies don’t mean a great deal in the grand scheme of things but for Nottingham Forest defender Josh Powell, they’re proving very useful indeed. The Reds youngster came on for Moussa Niakhate during last night’s 1-0 defeat to Valencia and shined once again.

Powell also played against Notts County on Saturday. He played at left-back for the opening 45 minutes at Meadow Lane and he didn’t look out of place one bit.

The talented youngster is busy rising through the City Ground ranks. He’s developing at an alarming rate and made 23 appearances for Forest across the under-18s and under-23s last season.

It was during the 2021/22 campaign that Powell showcased his class to Forest fans. He scored as the Reds lost 3-1 to Manchester United at Old Trafford in the FA Youth Cup Final.

Powell has clearly kicked on from the experience of that night. Last season, he scored three times and claimed six assists as the under-21s reached the play-offs for the second season running.

The 18-year-old looks like he could go a long way in the game. Powell did look nervous when he was doing a rendition of a Bruno Mars classic as his initiation over in Spain, but on the pitch, there are no such nerves.

Powell shines again despite defeat for Forest

It’s always nice when a youngster pokes their head above the parapet and starts to show their worth at first-team level. Naturally, Powell has a long way to go and at 18, he’s probably not quite ready to be thrust into Premier League football.

He is, however, showing that he has all of the ingredients to suggest he could cook up a storm at the senior level in the future. Cooper certainly values him, otherwise, he wouldn’t have taken him with the first team to Spain.

With Forest looking light at left-back, this pre-season could be invaluable for Powell. Playing well against Notts is one thing but last night he looked comfortable against a recognisable La Liga outfit.

It won’t come as any surprise to supporters that a talented youngster is emerging through the Forest ranks. But, in Powell, Forest might be set to unleash a real gem in future years.

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Nottingham Forest are among several clubs that have made an enquiry over signing Chelsea defender Ian Maatsen.

That is according to a report from The Athletic.

They claim that numerous clubs have expressed interested in Ian Maatsen during recent weeks.

Nottingham Forest, along with West Ham, Benfica and Wolfsburg, have all signalled their interest in the highly-rated Chelsea youngster.

The report adds that Burnley are still favourites to sign the £20million-rated left-back. Maatsen is going to have very fond memories of Turf Moor after playing a key role in Burnley earning promotion from the Championship last season as title winners.

Maatsen is currently away with Chelsea’s main group in the United States for pre-season, where he’s getting the opportunity to catch the eye of first-team head coach Mauricio Pochettino.

The young full-back has made just one first-team appearance in Chelsea colours during his career so far, so it’s a testament to how well he’s done out on loan that clubs are now queuing up to sign him.

He’s an attack-minded left-back we would love to see involved more for the Blues.

Unfortunately, the Dutchman is competing for a position where we already have first-team regulars Marc Cucurella and Ben Chilwell.

Described as “hugely talented” by .Coventry City’s Simon Moore (The Athletic), Maatsen looks like he’ll be a starting left-back in the Premier League in the near future.

Will that be at Stamford Bridge as a Chelsea player, though?

If you see how well he did for Vincent Kompany’s Burnley last season, Chelsea’s £20million price tag definitely seems like a fair price.

Forest will be looking to avoid second-season syndrome, and Maatsen would be a great addition at the City Ground.