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What does he bring to Forest?
Sosa is an exciting, attack-minded winger who likes to carry the ball and take defenders on. He is right-footed but prefers to play on the left, allowing him to cut inside.
He averages 0.74 shot-creating actions per 90 minutes from taking players on which, according to FBRef, puts him in the 95th percentile among his peers in South American football. His average of 0.95 shot-creating actions from fouls won puts him in the top one per cent. His average of 3.72 successful take-ons per game also puts him in the top one per cent.
Sosa, left, playing for Paraguay at Copa America in June (Logan Riely/Getty Images)
His stats are better than good. His average of 0.56 goals per 90 over the past year puts him in the top four per cent, but his finishing is even more impressive, with his average of 0.23 goals per shot again putting him in the top one per cent.
“You are getting a winger who is very creative,” says Rojas. “He can play on the right, but he generally does his best work on the left. He is not a huge physical specimen, but he is very quick. He has a good shot on him and he is very clever at being able to find pockets of space to work in; to find the passes to hit the forward players.”
How did the deal unfold?
Contact was first made between Nottingham Forest and Talleres in late July when it seemed as though an agreement was quickly reached over a transfer package for the player.
In fact, Talleres, Sosa’s club in Argentina, believed it essentially had been, but the situation did not prove quite as straightforward as anyone would have hoped or expected.
On August 2, Talleres president Andres Fassi, who had previously assured fans the club would seek a transfer fee of as much as £20million, stated that he was not prepared to fly to England to continue negotiations amid reported suggestions that Forest had altered their position when it came to the proposed transfer fee.
It was all very dramatic but ultimately boiled down to two clubs both seeking to secure the best deal for themselves.
How was it resolved?
The player had a big influence in helping the move edge closer to fruition. Sosa did not travel with the rest of the squad that faced Barracas Central last week and, according to reports in Argentina, there were question marks over whether he would make himself available for the Copa Libertadores meeting with Argentina’s River Plate today.
As it happened, the wheels were already in motion for his move to Forest to be completed, with the player flying to England last night (Wednesday) to complete a medical and the final details of his switch.
During his pre-match press conference for the River Plate game, Talleres manager Walter Ribonetto confirmed that Sosa has been training individually. “He’s training, but he’s not doing anything with opposition. With the ball but individually. He’s getting physically fit after the holidays he had and the Copa America,” he said.
Sosa also deleted all of his content from his Instagram account while waiting for an agreement to be reached between the two clubs. “He was in the squad for the River Plate game initially after the talks with Forest broke down,” says Rojas. “But there were question marks over whether he would play against River Plate had the situation not been resolved. He deleted his social media, everything was in the media, but his basic message was that he wanted to join Forest, which will have helped speed the situation along.”
Sosa after scoring for Talleres in May (Diego Lima/AFP/Getty Images)Will he start for Forest?
It’s unlikely. Nuno normally likes to give new signings some time to acclimatise before giving them a chance in the starting line-up and Sosa will not have had that. He has only trained with the rest of the squad in the past few days.
There is also the fact he does not speak English. Sosa does speak basic Spanish, which is one of the two main languages spoken in Paraguay, but the native language is Guarani, which is more prevalent in the rural areas where Sosa is from.
His Spanish has improved since being in Argentina and he will be able to communicate with Nuno and with a few of the other players who speak Spanish, such as multi-lingual Anthony Elanga.
But he will have to start English lessons before he can communicate properly with most in a dressing room.
That dressing room now also includes some high-quality options on the flanks, with Callum Hudson-Odoi, Elanga, the hugely versatile Elliot Anderson, and another summer signing, Jota Silva, all fighting for a chance in the wider roles within Nuno’s preferred 4-2-3-1 formation.
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(Top photo: Sosa playing for Paraguay against Argentina in October last year; by Marcelo Endelli via Getty Images)
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Publish date : 2024-08-14 17:20:00
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