Premier League legend Alan Shearer has named two Nottingham Forest stars as contenders for signing of the season following the Reds' impressive start to the season.

Nuno Espírito Santo's side are fourth in the top-flight table after their weekend win over Aston Villa as they continue to surpass expectations.

Shearer, a Match of the Day pundit and the Premier League's all-time top goalscorer, named Elliot Anderson and Nikola Milenkovic as contenders for the accolade during a debate on The Rest is Football podcast with Gary Lineker and Micah Richards.

Anderson joined the Reds in the summer in a PSR-related move from Newcastle United, the Magpies reluctantly parting ways with the midfielder while Forest goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos went the other way. Since then, Anderson has appeared in all but one of Forest's Premier League fixtures this season and picked up an impressive five assists. Nuno told Sky Sports that the 22-year-old central midfielder was an "amazing talent".

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Milenković arrived at the City Ground 17 days after Anderson, signing from Italian side Fiorentina. The Serbian centre-back has formed a formidable duo with Brazilian defender Murillo in a back line that has conceded just 19 goals so far this season, the joint-third best partnership in the Premier League.

The 27-year-old has also contributed at the other end of the pitch as well, recently scoring his first goal for the club in a win over Manchester United at Old Trafford before claiming a crucial equaliser in the Tricky Trees' victory over Aston Villa.

Milenkovic has played the full 90 minutes in 15 out of the 16 league games this season and has been one of the most impactful players in Espírito Santo's impressive set up this season.

"You know who’s done well with transfers?" Shearer pondered on the podcast. "I think Nottingham Forest. Elliot Anderson has done really well. Nikola Milenkovic [too]."

The next game for Forest is against a topsy-turvy team Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium, a place where the Bees have become formidable over the course of the campaign and remain unbeaten, winning seven and drawing one out of eight.

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