The former Reading midfielder is available on a free and Nottingham Forest are in need of some quality in the centre of the park.
There’s no doubting Jem Karacan’s quality. A Championship title winner in 2011/12, the former Turkish Under-21 international was a fans favourite at Reading, his excellent distribution from the centre of the park meant he didn’t look out of placing stepping up to the Premier League either despite The Royals brief stay in the top flight.
The injuries, however, meant the 28-year-old has never quite built on his initial promise. And, according to Bolton News, the gifted midfielder on the verge of being offered a contract by Phil Parkinson’s League One promotion chasers.
The fact Karacan was released by boyhood club Galatasaray after just two appearances in two years hardly bodes well but a club regularly competing for Champions League qualification always seemed a step too high. Nonetheless, his talent may also outstrip the more modest surrounds of League One.
The Bolton News claim that Karacan was hoping for a return to the Championship after trials with Wigan and Norwich and you just wonder whether Nottingham Forest may have missed a trick not handing an opportunity to a player who could add both quality and experience to Gary Brazil’s engine room.
With Chris Cohen (below) struggling again with injuries, Henri Lansbury departed and loanee Aaron Tshibola yet to impress, Forest appear to lack real quality in the centre of the park. Karacan, though dogged by serious injuries himself in recent seasons from cruciates to broken ankles, could have been rejuvenated with a major role at the City Ground.
It’s still a relatively young squad, too, and Karacan’s Championship experience could go a long way.
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