Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper looks set to finalise his first January signing at the City Ground as he continues to bolster the ranks in the East Midlands, according to reports.

Forest 2-0 Aston Villa

Nottingham Forest climbed up to 12th position in the Premier League table after goals from Ola Aina and Orel Mangala secured a 2-0 victory for the Tricky Trees at home to high-flying Aston Villa.

Clearly impressed by his side, Cooper praised Nottingham Forest's defensive resilience as they subdued Ollie Watkins and company, stating via BBC Sport: "It's a win we really wanted. We knew it was going to be a really tough game. We had to be really clear on the plan. It's pleasing for us to score two goals in the way we thought we could create chances."

He then added: "A real gratitude to the players in terms of committing to the plan and we scored early in both halves. I never felt we would concede today – Aston Villa couldn't carve us open too many times."

Telegraph reporter Luke Edwards has complimented the job Cooper has done in stabilising Nottingham Forest as a force in the Premier League, explaining via BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast: "Steve Cooper being under pressure – football never ceases to amaze me. I had them going down all day every day last season. They stayed up because of Cooper. I think he's one of the most underrated managers in English football."

Continuing on, he said: "Great result for Forest – hopefully that quietens down the noise about Steve Cooper. It's not the first time he's had this sort of noise about him, if you remember reports towards the end of last season, so I hope this is the launchpad to get Forest out of trouble."

Undoubtedly, Cooper has slowly elevated the club's stature to a point where they can regularly claim results in the English top flight; however, their upward trajectory could be accelerated even further by latest reports, which suggest that a talented defender is now on his way to the City Ground.

Nino set to join Nottingham Forest

According to an update from Globo Esporte via Sport Witness, Nottingham Forest are "destined" to sign Fluminense defender Nino for a fee of €7 million (£6 million) in January after taking the necessary steps to secure his signature, with an "agreement" in place with the player.

The 26-year-old will compete in December's Club World Cup before making the move to the City Ground, which will entitle Fluminense to 60% of his transfer fee and 20% of any future fee the Tricky Trees accumulate for his services. His former club, Criciúma, will inherit the other 40% of his transfer fee, something which isn't an uncommon practice in Brazil.

Sponsored by Adidas, Nino has made 50 appearances across all competitions in 2023, registering five goals alongside helping his side claim their first-ever Copa Libertadores crown this past weekend (Nino statistics – Transfermarkt).

Now, a move to the Premier League looks to be on the horizon for the Brazilian defender following his impressive exploits in his homeland.