Nottingham Forest have announced the signing of Super Eagles defender Ola Aina on a one-year deal with the option for a further year following the expiration of his contract with Italian side Torino.
The 26-year-old, who moves to the City Ground on a free transfer, becomes Forest’s first summer signing and the third Nigeria international in Steve Cooper’s side alongside forwards Taiwo Awoniyi and Emmanuel Dennis.
After the announcement of the deal with his new club, Aina said: “I’m very excited to be here and I can’t wait to get started. I wanted to be back on English soil again and Forest is a club which has an exciting project and team.”
“The manager as well, what he wants from the team is something which I want to buy into. He’s told me it’s a family club, he’s told me we have a great bunch of players and he’s told me I’ll enjoy it here.
“It’s exciting to be back playing in the Premier League. It’s the best league in the world and I always want to challenge myself. I know some of the boys well already which is good for me, but I’m excited to meet the rest of my teammates and get to know everyone.
“I saw Forest in action last season and the fans are as loud as can be throughout the whole game, which is something I’m relishing and can’t wait to experience. I can’t wait for it,” he concluded.
Officially official.
Let's get to work, @Aina2Ola ???? pic.twitter.com/IWrOgaTpfB
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) July 22, 2023
Aina, a Chelsea Academy graduate, only managed three senior appearances with the Blues. He secured loan moves to Hull City and Torino before finally agreeing a £9 million move to the Turin outfit in the summer of 2019. He enjoyed lengthy playing time in the 2019–20 Serie A campaign before returning to England on a season-long loan with then-promoted Fulham.
Following the Cottagers relegation to the Championship, he returned to Torino, where he has been for the past two seasons. He made 113 appearances for the Italian club over five years, scoring twice and providing seven assists.
Forest head coach, Cooper, said: “We’re really pleased that Ola has joined us.
“He’s a versatile player who has good experience of the Premier League and Serie A. He’s a really good player, but a good athlete as well.
“He’ll definitely make the team stronger and we’re looking forward to working with him.”
Although Aina was born in London, he switched his allegiance to Nigeria in 2017. He has about 30 caps for the Super Eagles, including representing the country in two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments in 2019 and 2021.
