'Outrageous': Ben Foster thinks £12m Nottingham Forest enforcer is outperforming Arsenal star this season
01/05/2025 06:00 AM
Nottingham Forest have made a wonderful start to the Premier League season and the halfway point of the season is now upon us.
The Reds have played every team in the Premier League once and have 37 points on the board as the season’s expectations shift in the right direction.
Gary Lineker has backtracked on his Forest prediction and pundits across the land are starting to show the Reds the respect they deserve.
A number of top performers have graced the City Ground this season, with Alan Shearer hailing Elliot Anderson for his performances.
It’s at this stage of the season where pundits and experts start to look back on the season so far and Forest are in the minds of everyone at the moment.
Ben Foster raves about Nottingham Forest star Nikola Milenkovic
The Reds caught the eye in the summer when Milenkovic was added for £12 million from Fiorentina.
During his time in Italy, he had led La Viola to back-to-back Europa Conference League finals but was unsuccessful in both.
Milenkovic has been a tremendous coup for Forest and his quality has been evident in both boxes for the Reds.
Foster has been seriously impressed and named him in his Team of the Season so far ahead of an Arsenal star.
He said on the Cycling GK Podcast: “I’m going for Milenkovic. The whole team could be in for selection. It’s so obvious to put Saliba in, he’s the second-best defender in the Premier League, but for a Team of the Season so far, Milenkovic and Murillo have both been outrageous for Forest this season.”
“He heads everything and he’s everything I want from a defender that is playing in front of me. He plays when he needs to play but otherwise, he heads and kicks everything.”
Nikola Milenkovic statistics 2024/25
It’s fair to say that Forest have hit the jackpot with the signing of Milenkovic during the summer transfer window.
Clubs much bigger than Forest must be kicking themselves that they let a proven international player join a club that essentially survived with one game to spare last season.
| Nikola Milenkovic stats 2024/25 | Total |
| Appearances | 18 |
| Goals | 2 |
| Aerials won | 47 |
| Blocks | 14 |
| Clearances | 73 |
Milenkovic is very much a leader in the Forest pack this season and it might not be too long before we see the defender wear the captain’s armband.
At 27, Forest have landed a player at the peak of his powers for a cut-price fee and once again, the defender is another feather in the cap of the club’s recruitment team.
