Nottingham Forest have yet again made a move to bring a new player into the squad in this summer’s transfer window.
The latest signing for Forest is the addition of Brazilian forward Igor Jesus, joining from Botafogo for a reported £10m.
Jesus joins Forest to add more strength to their forwards, including Chris Wood, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Jota Silva, and Taiwo Awoniyi.
With Forest finally back participating in a European competition for next season, they’re adding in reinforcements to be able to compete both domestically and in the European competition.
Since Crystal Palace‘s demotion to the UEFA Conference League, Forest have been promoted to the UEFA Europa League for next season.
In this scout report and player analysis, we will aim to highlight why Igor Jesus will be a good signing for Forest and how he can fit into Nuno Espírito Santo tactics at Nottingham Forest as they aim to conquer Europe.
Who Is Igor Jesus?
Igor Jesus is a 24-year-old Brazilian international striker who is joining the Premier League side from Botafogo, the current Campeonato Brasileiro Série A and Copa Libertadores champions.
Before joining Botafogo, Jesus played at Shabab Al Ahli in the UAE Pro League, where he scored 34 goals in 66 appearances—this highlights Jesus’ eye for goal.
Jesus has made 28 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring nine goals and recording one assist.
This included playing in all four of Botafogo’s FIFA Club World Cup matches, where he scored two goals, the most notable one being the sole goal and winner against the European Champions, Paris Saint-Germain.
While still a young striker, Jesus will have the opportunity to develop his game and skills under his new manager at Forest.
He will also be able to gain valuable knowledge from his new strike partners, such as Chris Wood.
Igor Jesus Radar Chart
Igor Jesus left Botafogo during their current season to join Forest; however, he has played in 29 of the 39 matches this season.
The pizza chart above shows that Jesus primarily stands out for his strong attacking metrics.
From the graphic, we can see that he performed above average compared to his positional peers for the 2024/2025 season in both goal contributions (GC) per 90 minutes and expected goal contributions (xGC) per 90 minutes.
Alongside these metrics, Jesus also recorded superb numbers in shots per 90 (92nd percentile) and touches inside the opposition’s penalty area per 90 (91st percentile).
These numbers demonstrate that Jesus is a striker who likes to operate inside the penalty area and get a high volume of shots off on goal, providing Botafogo with several goals, which helped them to secure their third league title and the Copa Libertadores.
As a striker, it is understandable that his numbers for dangerous passes per 90 are lower, as he is normally the one who gets on the end of the dangerous passes.
However, in the defensive metrics, we can see Jesus puts up above-average numbers in terms of defensive duels won and aerial duels per 90.
Jesus also puts up excellent numbers in aerial duels won (78th percentile), which highlights what he offers the team in the air.
He also ranks above average in four of the five possession metrics, indicating that when he has the ball at his feet, he is comfortable linking up and bringing teammates into play.
Igor Jesus Shooting
As highlighted above in the radar chart, Igor Jesus puts up excellent numbers in shots per 90, so let’s take a closer look at some examples of his shooting ability and see some of the goals he has scored this season for Botafogo.
Above, the graphic highlights the number of shots Jesus has taken during his time at Botafogo.
It illustrates that Jesus is a striker who likes to take his shots from inside the box, where he is more likely to be dangerous, but if the opportunity arises, he will take shots from outside the box.
The above image shows Jesus’ confidence in taking shots from outside the box when he has space.
The confidence shown could be a reason for Forest signing him, as it gives them another striker who is willing to show his shooting ability from distance, thereby giving them a better chance of scoring goals.
Statistics from the 2024/2025 Premier League season show Forest attempted 37% of their shots from outside the box and 64% coming from inside the box, implying that Jesus will get plenty of chances to take his shots on goal.
— Footie Clips (@FootieClips) July 14, 2025
These clips show some of the goals Igor Jesus has scored this season.
Two of the goals are headers, showing his strength in the air and the threat he poses aerially; this will be highlighted further in the article.
The other goals in this clip show his clinical news from the penalty spot, his ability to strike the ball cleanly while on the move, and his skill in finding the bottom corner out of the goalkeeper’s reach.
These examples of the type of goals scored by Jesus demonstrate why Forest has added him to their attacking lineup and highlight the potential he can bring to their team.
The image above highlights Igor Jesus’s awareness of getting across the defender to be the first to the ball in order to get his shot on goal.
Here is the next image in the play, showing Jesus getting in front of the defender and employing the technique to hit the ball towards the goal for the first time.
This shooting movement will be a valuable addition to his new team, as they have players who can deliver pinpoint, accurate passes to him, which opens up defences for better shooting opportunities, such as Callum Hudson-Odoi, Morgan Gibbs-White, and Elliot Anderson.
Igor Jesus Strength
Despite only being 5’10”, Igor Jesus is very strong when holding off defenders and protecting the ball to either link-up with other teammates or draw fouls from the opposition.
The following three images highlight this attribute.
Jesus’ ability to use his strength to protect the ball will be very helpful for Forest, as they play 11.8% of long ball passes, which, according to Opta, is the fourth highest in the league.
The signing of Jesus will give Forest another option, alongside Chris Wood, to challenge and win the long ball passes.
While Jesus is still young, his full potential for protecting the ball and utilising his strength has yet to be fully realised against stronger defenders.
This is a challenge he will face when starting his Premier League due to the high-quality defenders currently in the league.
Igor Jesus Aerial Duels
— Footie Clips (@FootieClips) July 15, 2025
The clips above show some of Jesus’s aerial duels while playing for Botafogo.
As highlighted previously in the article, Jesus puts up excellent numbers in terms of aerial duels won, ranking in the 78th percentile. This number is almost double that of Nottingham Forest’s current striker, Chris Wood, whose numbers ranked him in the 38th percentile for the same metric.
From the clips, we can see that Jesus is willing to challenge for aerial duels and constantly fights to win the ball for his team.
As stated before, Forest is the fourth-highest for long ball passes in the league, so having someone with Jesus’s aerial ability is going to be a huge asset for the club.
Igor Jesus Link-Up Play
— Footie Clips (@FootieClips) July 15, 2025
The clips above showcase Igor Jesus’s ability to drop deep or take the ball in the pocket and link up with his teammates to create opportunities.
In the first clip, Jesus demonstrates precise control to maintain possession of the ball before playing a pass out wide.
Following the pass, we can see his striker instinct by his immediate run into the penalty area, expecting a cross from his teammate.
Jesus will be able to use this strength while playing for Forest as he will be able to bring in to play their creative players and playmakers.
I believe this will create numerous scoring opportunities for Jesus and his new teammates.
The second and third clips show similar actions, all of which involve him not just standing there admiring his pass, but also demonstrating the determination to make a forward run to give his teammate another attacking option.
Conclusion
All in all, I firmly believe the signing of Igor Jesus to Nottingham Forest is good business.
Although it is unlikely that he will walk straight into the starting eleven in front of Chris Wood, I think he will get multiple opportunities to prove his ability to the manager through cup appearances and substitute appearances.
As he is still a young player, I believe that under the mentorship of Nuno Espírito Santo coaching style, he will continue to develop and progress not only in the striker position but also as a player overall.
In my opinion, Igor Jesus is a player to watch in the future and will have a good time in the Premier League.
