When Anel Ahmedhodzic made his debut for Nottingham Forest against Newcastle United in December 2016, there were high hopes that the young Swedish defender would be the next big thing to come through the club’s much-lauded academy.
But that one appearance – as an 84th-minute substitute on a cold winter’s night at St James Park – was to be his last in a Forest shirt and he departed the City Ground two-and-a-half years later.
However, Ahmedhodzic has, like so many other prospects, reinvented himself at a smaller club and is now attracting interest from top scouts from across Europe.
And, according to Swedish outlet Expressen, that includes Chelsea who, according to his father Mirsad, have had a £7.2m bid "blocked" by his agent Markus Rosenborg.
The 21-year-old, who plies his trade in Sweden for Malmo, can play as a centre-back or in defensive midfield, and would be a welcome addition to Chelsea head coach Frank Lampard’s squad.
Born in Malmo to Bosnian immigrants, Ahmedhodzic began his career at his hometown club, joining its youth academy system at the age of five. He progressed through Malmo’s ranks before Forest snapped him up in early 2016.
Ahmedhodzic returned to the club in 2019, but was promptly sent on loan to Danish second tier side Hobro IK.
However, since returning to Malmo, he has since become one of Sweden's most reliable defenders.
He appeared 48 times for Malmo during the Swedish top-flight’s 2020 campaign, and scored three goals. An archetypal centre-back, Ahmedhodzic would bring a defensive nous and steeliness that has been missing at times from Chelsea’s starting line-up, especially with N’Golo Kante regularly struggling with injuries.
Stylish and mature for his age – and standing at 6ft 4in – Ahmedhodzic would represent a totally different type of player to the diminutive Kante, yet would surely be a help in the Blues’ quest to stop leaking so many goals.
As mentioned, he is comfortable at either centre-half or shielding the back-four – and with Lampard shuffling his backline so often, Ahmedhodzic would be a more than useful option at Stamford Bridge.
Having played for Sweden’s youth teams, Ahmedhodzic made his senior international debut against Moldova in January again, but changed his allegiance to represent his parents’ homeland, making his first start for Bosnia against Northern Ireland last month.
Ahmedhodzic is grateful for his education at Forest and will not rule out a return to England with Chelsea.
He said last year: “It's tough in general but Nottingham is known for having a particularly tough youth programme.
“It's very physical and hard work. I have grown a few centimetres but gone up about 11 kilos since I came to England. It shows a little how it is.
“There are also more physical duels than in Sweden.
“I've learned a lot, even though I've been stuck to playing football along the ground from the backline.”
Known for his passing ability, as well as his tackling and defensive qualities, perhaps, too, Ahmedhodzic will represent a cheaper option than West Ham United’s Declan Rice, whom Chelsea have maintained a long-standing interest in.
