Loic Bade feels he had to bring an early end to his time at Premier League outfit Nottingham Forest after failing to secure a first-team berth under Steve Cooper, speaking to Ouest France following his a loan move to La Liga strugglers Sevilla.
Who would have thought at the start of the season that Nottingham Forest – back in the big time after nearly a quarter-of-a-century away – would find themselves in a better position than European regulars Sevilla midway through January?
Forest, following Saturday’s Brennan Johnson-inspired 2-0 win over Leicester City, ascended to the dizzying heights of 13th. Sevilla, in contrast, find themselves in the most unexpected of relegation battles; level with second-bottom Cadiz, averaging less than a point-per-game.
At least Loic Bade is playing in Seville, which is more than can be said of his time in Nottingham. The Rennes-owned centre-back only moved to Spain two weeks ago, and has already made more appearances for Sevilla than he did under Steve Cooper on the banks of the Trent.
Loic Bade left Nottingham Forest for La Liga strugglers Sevilla
“The problem is that there were a lot (of players) in the team. I knew that from the start,” says Bade, explaining why his spell in England’s East Midlands ended some five months ahead of schedule.
“I’d looked at who was playing in my position, and I thought I could manage.
“I arrived in a team that played with three central defenders, plus two full-backs. There were six central defenders in the squad, so two in each position. It’s competition. That’s normal. But we went to four (at the back), which reduced the possibilities.”
Bade did not make a single Premier League appearance for Nottingham Forest. Joe Worrall, Scott McKenna, Cheikhou Kouyate and Willy Boly were all firmly established ahead of him in Cooper’s pecking order, meaning Forest were never likely to trigger the £12 million option-to-buy clause in his Rennes contract.
‘Cooper prefers experience’
“The coach (Cooper) prefers players with experience,” 22-year-old Bade adds. “His choices were made based on that criteria.
“That didn’t stop me from continuing to work, trying to progress, learn as much as possible. Even though it was a complicated experience, I think I got something positive out of (my time at Forest).
“At one point, as the transfer window was getting closer. We had to find out if it was best for me to stay in Nottingham, or to find a new project. For me, it was a bit logical since I saw that the coach was not counting on me.”
Nottingham Forest are now hoping to add another centre-half to their ranks following Bade’s departure; Atletico Madrid’s Mario Hermoso is one option, Fortuna Dusseldorf’s Germany U21 ace Jamil Siebert another.
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