The 21-year-old was ineffective on the wing as Nottingham Forest failed to open up Wigan Athletic.
One potentially inspired £3million January signing will not repair any bridges between Nottingham Forest fans and the club’s much-maligned owner Fawaz Al-Hasawi, as reported by the Bolton News. Even if the new boy’s name is Clough.
Nonetheless, diminutive attacker Zach is something of a rarity at the City Ground. Amid the almost constant departures of key players and usually uninspiring replacements, the 21-year-old seems a guaranteed success; a player with the ability to immediately improve the first-team options at Gary Brazil’s disposal.
If the caretaker coach uses the former Bolton Wanderers prospect correctly that is.
Saturday’s dour draw with Wigan Athletic was by far the least effective of Clough’s four Forest appearances thus far and being shunted out onto the wing can be blamed for a performance that bordered on anonymous.
After all, Clough is renowned for his ability to link play intelligently in tight spaces, drift between the lines and flick intelligently weighted passes beyond opposition back lines. He is not a player with the capacity or the athleticism to race or power past a full-back and thump a ball into the box.
He netted nine goals in 26 appearances for Bolton in the first half of the season too, so his goal-scoring prowess is undeniable.
Meanwhile Ben Osborn, who started in Clough’s preferred number 10 role against the Latics, has troubled the net just four times in 34 games in Forest colours this season.
Therefore, turning a 0-0 into a 1-0 could be as simple as a slight rejig.
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