‘Ideal fit for Forest’ – Hughton tracking 26-year-old, but could Barnsley pip him? The verdict | OneFootball

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict’ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more

Barnsley have opened talks with Emiliano Marcondes following the 26-year-old’s departure from Brentford, according to Pete O’Rourke.

Marcondes is a wanted man after being let go by Brentford at the end of his contract, after helping the Bees win promotion to the Premier League.

The attacking midfielder scored the second goal in their 2-0 win over Swansea City in the Wembley play-off final, and produced a standout display for Thomas Frank’s side.

Marcondes is now said to be wanted by Nottingham Forest and Barnsley, as per Football Insider, with the two sides set to table contract offers.

But Barnsley look to be the ones who are ahead of Forest in the race to land Marcondes, with O’Rourke claiming that they have now opened talks over a potential move.

Here, we discuss what the best move would be for Marcondes…

Ned Holmes

You’d have to say that Nottingham Forest is likely the safer bet right now.

The links between Valerien Ismael and other clubs brings into question how long Barnsley can keep him in their dugout and you wonder whether the Tykes will be able to recreate what they did last season.

If they can then a move to Oakwell would be the obvious choice but there’s a fair bit of uncertainty at the moment.

Forest on the other hand will be looking to back Chris Hughton and compete up the top of the Championship table in 2021/22, so now looks to be an appealing time to join.

Both clubs are strong options but Forest are the safer bet for me.

Chris Gallagher

I think he would be the ideal fit for Forest.

That’s not to say that Emiliano wouldn’t do well at Barnsley, because they require someone with more quality in the final third. However, Valerien Ismael’s way of playing is more about the off-the-ball intensity and it’s a direct approach that really works for them.

Whilst Emiliano is capable of playing that way, as Brentford also went with a high press, there’s no doubting he is a technically gifted footballer. Therefore, the prospect of playing in the advanced midfield role of Chris Hughton’s 4-2-3-1 formation at the City Ground is an exciting one for the player and the Reds.

That seems like the perfect fit on paper and if Emiliano does move to Forest then I think he can become an important part of the team moving forward.

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Jacob Potter

This would be an excellent signing by the Tykes.

Marcondes really impressed me towards the end of the 2020/21 season with Brentford, and he’s shown that he can perform to a high standard in the Championship whilst with the Bees.

The midfielder scored a brilliant goal in the play-off final, and I have to admit that I was slightly surprised to see Brentford not renew his contract ahead of their promotion into the Premier League.

Barnsley were really impressive this term, and they’ve shown that they can compete for promotion into the top flight themselves, and Marcondes is a player that could take them to the next level.

His creativity and eye for goal would certainly add something to the Barnsley team, and he could prove to be the missing piece in their promotion jigsaw next season.