James McAtee

McAtee controls a football in tight spaces the way a smaller, more technical player usually has to, shielding it from a challenge and shifting his body just enough to open a passing lane. That comes from years inside a technically obsessed academy system, where close control and quick decision making mattered more than physical dominance. The habit has followed him into a very different kind of midfield battle.

The question that follows him is whether that technical gift translates into consistent end product in a Premier League midfield built around pace and physicality rather than patient possession. A major move to Forest brought real expectation with it. Supporters will be looking for the moments where his vision unlocks a defence rather than simply keeping possession ticking over safely. The early signs suggest he is capable of that, even if it has not yet become entirely automatic.