Nottingham Forest eye move for Aston Villa’s Matty Cash

Aston Villa defender Matty Cash has been linked with a possible return to Nottingham Forest.

The 28-year-old has been a mainstay on the right side of Villa’s back line since leaving Trentside for the West Midlands in a £14m deal in September 2020.

Cash has two years remaining on his existing contract and, while his recent form has come under scrutiny in some quarters, Unai Emery, the Aston Villa manager, has made no secret of his admiration for the player.

What has Villa manager Unai Emery said about Matty Cash?

“His qualities are his speed,” Emery enthused last December. “He is a very fast player who plays with a lot of intensity in each match. Now, with the way we play, Cash is one of the key players for us.”

Financial considerations, not least the need to control the club’s wage bill in line with UEFA’s squad cost regulations, may nonetheless pave the way for Cash to depart Bodymoor Heath should an appropriate offer materialise.

Forest have yet to make a formal approach for Cash, but that could change should their pursuit of Manchester City right-back Rico Lewis prove fruitless.

Lewis set up Erling Haaland’s opener in a 4-0 Premier League win over Wolves at the weekend and said afterwards City were his “dream club” and he had never seen himself playing elsewhere.

Financial obstacles

It remains to be seen whether Cash’s salary, believed to be in the region of £4m a year, would represent an obstacle to a Forest transfer. 

That said, there would be potential benefits for both clubs. Cash is one of Villa’s higher earners, so his departure would ease pressure on the club’s coffers while also offering Forest a cheaper alternative to Lewis.

Villa’s recent belt-tightening has seen academy graduate Jacob Ramsey sold to Newcastle United for £40m and Belgian midfielder Leander Dendoncker leave for Real Oviedo on a free transfer. They also sold their women’s team to holding company V Sports earlier this summer.

Cash, who was born in England but represents Poland at international level by dint of having a Polish mother, has made 181 appearances for Villa, scoring 10 goals.

The full-back began his youth career with Wycombe Wanderers before joining Forest in 2014. He made his first-team debut two years later and went on to make 141 appearances for the club.

Forest’s interest in Cash comes with the club reportedly closing in on a deal for former Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz.