Serge Aurier: Nottingham Forest’s surprise star

This summer was quite the spectacle at the City Ground as Nottingham Forest announced 23 arrivals, including right-back Serge Aurier.

The ambitious project of securing Premier League safety is looking positive after 20 games as Forest sit 13th, four points above the drop zone.

Aurier’s arrival on a free transfer flew under the radar compared with promising stars like Morgan Gibbs-White and Taiwo Awoniyi – but the Ivory Coast international is looking like one of their best deals.

As Forest continue their battle for survival, we used the Twenty3 Toolbox to take a deep dive into his performances this season.

Premier League return

Aurier began his footballing career with Lens and has gone on to play at Toulouse, Paris Saint-Germain and eventually Tottenham, where he was expected to replace Kyle Walker.

Unfortunately for Spurs, he did not hit those heights and eventually moved to Villarreal at the end of his contract.

The full-back’s time in Spain proved unsuccessful as his contract was terminated a year early, facilitating his move to the City Ground.

Expectations were that Aurier would arrive as a backup to the promising Neco Williams – another new signing – who joined from Liverpool.

However, he has since displaced the 21-year-old and cemented his position on the right side of defence.

Shrewd operator

Aurier has proven to be an effective defender for Forest this season.

The Ivory Coast international has won an impressive 164 of his 183 attempted defensive actions in the Premier League, showcasing his intelligence off the ball.

He is averaging 8.37 interceptions and 5.28 defensive duels per 90 minutes – more than any of his team-mates.

And despite coming up against some of Europe’s best attackers, he has made just four fouls in 1,022 league minutes. Only three players have less per 90, and they have all played fewer minutes.

Attacking influence

However, on the ball, Aurier can be careless. So far this season, he has lost possession 69 times in the Forest half, with five of those instances classed as dangerous.

However, he is eager to progress the ball, winning 34 of his 65 attempted attacking duels as he makes dangerous overlapping runs from which he can cross into the box.

This term, he has attempted 28 deliveries, eight of which have been successful. 

He has also completed all six of his attempted key passes, just one fewer than Joao Cancelo – not bad company to be in.

Forest favourite

Given the £17million outlay it took to bring Williams to the club, many will have been surprised to see Aurier take the youngster’s place at right-back.

That surprise perhaps extends even to those within the club, given the Ivorian was only offered a one-year deal when he joined.

But as the season continues, the full-back’s acquisition is proving a move that is paying off for Steve Cooper’s side.

Should they remain in the English top flight, Forest will no doubt look to extend Aurier’s stay at the City Ground.

All graphics in this article were produced with the Twenty3 Toolbox. For more information, please get in touch below.