Ola Aina has been one of Nottingham Forest's top performers this term.

The experienced full-back was even at the centre of attention last weekend when he bagged his first goal for the club.

His first-half strike set Forest on their way to a 2-0 win over Aston Villa as they moved further clear of the Premier League's bottom three.

Ahead of today's trip to West Ham, we reflect on Aina's form since his summer move to the Midlands.

Ole, Ole, Ola

Aina was certainly not signed for his goalscoring prowess.

In his only previous full season of Premier League football, he netted twice in 31 appearances for Fulham.

However, the 27-year-old clearly has an eye for goal when the opportunity presents itself.

His finish against Villa — a low, accurate shot into the bottom left corner from just outside the box — resembled that of a confident striker.

Such was the quality of his effort, Aina earned praise from former Liverpool and England centre forward Michael Owen.

He said: "You'd expect a ball like that to be hit with the laces from 25 yards out, but it's actually a very controlled finish hit with the instep.

"It's a side-foot finish and I'm a big advocate of that — I think people go for power far too much. It's a really good finish."

Tough tackler

Forest will hope there are more goals to come from Aina but his primary job in the team is to defend and provide attacking support in wide areas.

He has done that impressively so far this season, playing on both the left and right side of Steve Cooper's rearguard.

His versatility has already proven useful, with Aina equally capable of playing a defensive role in a back four or operating in more advanced areas as a wing-back in a five-man defence.

The Nigeria international has made plenty of important pragmatic contributions too.

Only Willy Boly (34) has won more possessions in the defensive third than Aina (26) for Forest in 2023-24.

And with 16 tackles and 19 completed clearances to his name, Aina has played a big part in his team's solidity.

Making progress

Cooper's side are growing in confidence after a tricky start to the campaign.

The 2-0 win over Villa was evidence of their progress as they kept a third clean sheet in 11 games and shut out one of the division's top scorers in Ollie Watkins.

Having started seven league matches since his move from Serie A side Torino, there is little doubt that Aina has been key to the improvement.

Back in September, he said: "The games have been tough but I feel like for myself and the team, it's good to see where we're at.

"I feel like we haven't done too bad against the bigger teams, it's been a challenge but it's been a good one.

"It shows the leaps and bounds the club has taken within just one season. It's good to see we are competing and we do feel strong, so it's good to have that feeling."