Stuart Pearce believes Nottingham Forest offers the perfect setting for young centre-back Murillo to continue his development. The 22-year-old Brazilian, who joined from Corinthians, has quickly adapted to life in the Premier League and established himself as a key player in Forest’s defense. His standout performances have attracted considerable attention, fueling transfer speculation for both the summer and upcoming January windows. Despite this, Pearce, a Forest legend and former defender, is confident that staying at Forest is the best decision for Murillo’s growth.
“I hope he remains at Forest,” Pearce stated. “When you’re performing well in the Premier League, people are going to take notice, and it’s natural that there will be interest. Murillo has been exceptional defensively, very composed on the ball, and his ability to play passes through the midfield is a real asset. He just needs to keep doing what he’s doing, and I believe Forest is the ideal place for him right now.”
The signing of Nikola Milenkovic in the summer has further benefited Murillo’s development. The two have formed a formidable partnership at the heart of Forest’s defense, and their solid performances have been key to the team’s strength at the back this season. Pearce, who had tracked Milenkovic’s progress during his time at West Ham, is impressed by the combination. “Milenkovic has been a great addition. I had looked at him when I was at West Ham, and now he’s showing his quality alongside Murillo. Together, they’ve built a strong defensive unit.”
Looking ahead to Forest’s upcoming match against Manchester City at the Etihad, Pearce believes Forest can cause problems for the reigning Premier League champions. He highlighted their impressive results this season, including a 1-0 win at Anfield and a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge. “Forest has been very dangerous on the counterattack,” Pearce said. “They’re the only team to win at Liverpool this season, and that’s largely thanks to their pace on the break. Chris Wood has been scoring goals, and if he’s unavailable, Taiwo Awoniyi can step in. With players like Callum Hudson-Odoi, Morgan Gibbs-White, and Anthony Elanga, Forest has plenty of attacking threat.”
Pearce also pointed out that Forest’s counterattacking style could be crucial against Manchester City, especially with their pace on the break. “The pace they have in attack can trouble any team, as we’ve seen with Liverpool. Forest has shown they can compete at the highest level, and the win at Chelsea was a huge result, too. People may have underestimated that, but Chelsea has been solid this season.”
Despite City’s current dip in form, Pearce acknowledged that Forest will still need to be defensively solid and prepared to absorb pressure. “City will dominate possession, but that’s something Forest won’t mind. It’ll be interesting to see if Forest adopts a high press at times to try and disrupt City’s rhythm. A few teams have been more aggressive against City recently, and they’ve had success doing so.”
In conclusion, Pearce is optimistic about Forest’s ability to compete with the best, pointing to their tactical flexibility and attacking threat. “Forest has the potential to give any team a tough game. They’ll need to stick to their strengths and make it difficult for City, just as they have done against other top clubs this season.”
