£13m former Benfica starlet Joao Carvalho has started just one Championship game since Martin O’Neill took over at Nottingham Forest in January.
Expectations were understandably sky high when Joao Carvalho arrived at Nottingham Forest last summer for a club record fee of £13 million, as reported by BBC.
With the help of super-agent Jorge Mendes, Forest pulled off a substantial coup by luring one of the most promising young talents in Benfica’s squad to the City Ground, seemingly taking inspiration from a Wolves side who won the Championship title in 2018 with a talented Iberian core.
But with just a few weeks remaining, it is clear that Carvalho’s debut season in English football hasn’t gone to plan – certainly since Martin O’Neill replaced Aitor Karanka in the dugout back in January.
Carvalho has a natural talent that most of Forest’s other midfielders can only dream of (are you listening Ben Watson?) but he has started just once since O’Neill took over. The former Republic of Ireland boss has often left the 22-year-old gathering dust on the bench, a decision that has left fans baffled as Forest slip up against the likes of Rotherham.
And with the summer transfer window looming large, the fans are worried that Carvalho has no future at the City Ground as long as O’Neill sticks around. SDNA claims that he is a target for Olympiakos.
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