Lowdown on Nottingham Forest linked defender given 'big teddy bear' nickname

Nottingham Forest's planning for life in the Premier League is well underway with reports linking them with a move for French defender Mickael Nade.

The Reds are in the process of building a squad to compete in the top flight for the first time in 23 years after beating Huddersfield Town in the Championship play-off final. Nade, 23, is contracted to French side Saint-Etienne until 2024 but could be on the search for a new club after they dropped into Ligue 2.

Owner Evangelos Marinakis has said he will back boss Steve Cooper in the transfer market as the Reds look to put together a squad capable of holding its own in the top flight. Centre-back Nade has caught Forest’s eye, according to French website L’Equipe, but they will face competition for the Saint-Etienne man’s services with Angers also claimed to be interested.

Nade, who can feature on either the left or right side of central defence, has an imposing figure of almost two metres tall and weighing in at 93kg.

"In U17, he was stronger than the others so he managed to make the difference on the athletic level without forcing too much," remembers his former coach Lionel Vaillant. "We called him 'big teddy bear'. It represented him well. He was very nice, very appreciated in the locker room and on the field, he was quiet strong. He was strong in duels, even if he could do better."

"In duels, he became even stronger. Today, when he goes out to duel, it hurts. He is one of the L1 defenders who win the most duels. It's a good stat in his position," Vailant added.

The 23-year-old, who has two years left to run on his contract, started out at AAS Sarcelles, before coming up through the ranks at Saint-Etienne. Although he made his Ligue 1 debut in 2017, it was a loan spell