BY PAUL TAYLOR

When Ola Aina was drafted in to help open a new sports pitch at a Nottingham school before Christmas, the defender ensured dozens of pupils went home with memories they will treasure.

While his Nottingham Forest team-mate Anthony Elanga was whisked away to conduct a media interview after the ceremony, Aina happily stayed and spent 20 minutes having a friendly kick-around with the kids at the Chetwynd Spencer Academy in Toton.

When Forest win at the City Ground, Aina and Callum Hudson-Odoi are often the last players to make their way off the pitch and down the tunnel. Normally, they dance their way back to the dressing room.

When Hudson-Odoi picked up a minor injury in the final stages of the recent 1-0 win over Tottenham, Aina carried him off the pitch and down the tunnel on his back, all while still attempting a vague dance.

After scoring a spectacular goal from the edge of the box in the 3-0 win over West Ham in November, Aina admitted afterwards he had only struck the shot because he was tired.  “I was knackered, so I thought I might as well hit it,” he told Optus Sport, all while sipping on a carton of fruit juice, through a straw.

All of which inspired the recently unveiled terrace chant that Forest fans have conjured up for the defender: ‘Ola Aina, Ola Aina, he drinks Ribena, scores a screamer, Forest are magic…’

To add to his buoyant personality, Aina is also a very good player, so it is no surprise he has gradually become something of a cult figure.

Much has been made of the money Forest have spent in the transfer market since they were promoted from the Championship in 2022. There have been some clever investments — including Nikola Milenkovic and Elliot Anderson, who have become key figures since joining last summer. But among the best deals in recent years has to be the capture of Aina as a free agent following the end of his contract at Torino in July 2023.

Tomorrow, the visit of Liverpool will see Arne Slot’s side arrive with Trent Alexander-Arnold, a player who has almost reinvented what it means to play at right-back. Alexander-Arnold has been the subject of frequent links to Real Madrid, whose inquiries about a January move were rejected by Liverpool. But there is a reason why the Spanish giants are keen. In 336 appearances for his boyhood club, Alexander-Arnold has established himself as an integral figure.

While they are very different players, Aina has also evolved into a vastly important cog in the machine under Nuno Espirito Santo. More than that, within 40 Premier League starts and two sub appearances for Forest, Aina has become one of the best-performing right-backs in the top flight.

In the build-up to the game, Slot acknowledged that Forest deserves to be talked about as title challengers. In the same vein, Aina has shown he deserves to mix with the elite — there cannot be many full-backs who are performing at a higher level than the Chelsea academy product.

Like his Liverpool counterpart, Aina is out of contract in the summer. Unlike Alexander-Arnold, he is unlikely to have the option of walking away for nothing. There is a clause in his deal that will see it extended to the end of the 2025-26 season, which will be activated if he reaches a certain number of appearances — a mark he is very close to already.

In the meantime, Forest are also keen to agree a longer contract with the Nigeria international and negotiations continue. Whatever happens, he will almost certainly remain a Forest player beyond this season, which will be good news for Nuno (and for sales of Ribena in Nottingham).

“He has been good. Very good. Last season was difficult for him, because he was distracted by a few physical issues. He still finished last season really well and this season he has been doing fantastically well for the team,” said Nuno when asked about Aina in his pre-match press conference. “His performance levels are fantastic.”

Defensively, Aina’s stats are better than Alexander-Arnold’s. Aina’s “true” tackle win rate (which accounts for tackles plus challenges lost and fouls committed) is 67 per cent this season — better than Alexander-Arnold’s 58. Similarly, Alexander-Arnold has been dribbled past on 41 per cent of the occasions he was taken on, while Aina’s figure is 25.

Aina is a more solid, consistent defender, although that is also within a Forest side that adopt a deeper defensive block, which contrasts with Liverpool’s higher defensive line.

Creatively, Alexander-Arnold is — unsurprisingly — streets ahead of Aina. But probably almost every other defender too. The 1.7 open-play chances he creates far exceeds Aina’s 0.27 per 90 minutes, with an expected assists (xG) per 90 of 0.35 compared with Aina’s 0.03 per 90.

But Aina’s most valuable quality to Forest is his ability to turn defence into attack: on a very basic level, to advance Forest up the pitch.

Aina has completed 80 carries after a defensive action this season, the most of any Premier League player. On top of that, 23 per cent of his carries are progressive, the second-highest proportion among full-backs in the division (behind Aaron Wan-Bissaka).

“That (his ability to carry the ball out of defence)  is one of the characteristics we like. But defensively he is also very solid,” added Nuno.

Only Moises Caicedo and Ryan Christie have made more ball recoveries than Aina (who averages 6.13 per 90 minutes) this season in the Premier League.

Speed is also important. As revealed in a recent interview with The Athletic, Elanga regards himself as being the fastest player at Forest. But Aina is not far behind. The rivalry between the two players on that front is a friendly one. Aina is an influential, positive figure and a popular team-mate.

“He is a fantastic character,” Nuno said. “We have a good group of players — a very good group of people and characters. They enjoy being together and working together. Ola is very much one of those.”

If Forest beat Liverpool at the City Ground, they will equal their club record of seven consecutive league wins, which was set in 1922. They would also move to within three points of the league leaders.

Whatever happens, it has already been a remarkable journey — and one that Aina has been one of the leading characters in. Getting him tied down to a new deal would qualify as another astute piece of business.

–New York Times; Additional reporting: Thom Harris and Mark Carey

(Top photo: Michael Regan/Getty Images)

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