Nottingham Forest will have to wait to sign Inter Milan ace and Serie A winner Roberto Gagliardini with the Premier League-linked midfielder set to stay at the San Siro for the next few months, according to Calciomercato.
But every cloud, as they say…
Italy international Gagliardini might not be arriving to strengthen Steve Cooper’s increasingly impressive squad on deadline day, but that does not mean Forest’s hopes of securing his signature are over for good.
Gagliardini will be a free-agent in July. As such, if Nottingham Forest are still in the market for a new midfielder come the summer, there will be nothing to stop them snapping up Inter’s £20 million playmaker without spending a single penny in transfer fees.
Nottingham Forest like Roberto Gagliardini of Serie A giants Inter Milan
The ex-Atalanta prospect has already made it clear that he has little intension of extending his stay with the Nerazzuri. Gagliardini has started just three Serie A games all season; Nicolo Barella, Marcelo Brozovic, Kristjan Asllani and Hakan Calhanoglu all ahead of him in Simone Inzaghi’s pecking order.
“I am no longer prepared to play so little,” Gagliardini tells Sky Italia. “Because I still feel that I am in good shape and have a lot more to give. I want to play and to make my qualities known.
“We’ll see what happens in June (when my deal runs out). I will make my decisions.”
Then again, Gagliardini’s future, with regards to Nottingham Forest at any rate, appears to have been complicated by the January arrival of Danilo from Palmeiras and the impending addition of Newcastle United veteran Jonjo Shelvey.
Gagliardini, who can play as a deep-lying ‘number six’ or in a more box-to-box role, would also face competition from Ryan Yates, Remo Freuler and Orel Mangala at the City Ground. Then again, Nottingham Forest are not averse to accumulating what some would describe as a surplus of players in certain areas.
It was they, after all, who brought in a whole lorryload of left-backs last summer.
Leeds beat Nottingham Forest to Juventus’ Weston McKennie
Forest, meanwhile, missed out on Weston McKennie to relegation rivals Leeds United. Atletico Madrid’s Brazil international Felipe should arrive on deadline day, however. Wolves also wanted Felipe, but landed Craig Dawson from West Ham instead.
“I like the move. I feel there is a lot going on with Juventus right now,” former USA striker Charlie Davies says of McKennie.
“(McKennie) is going be thrust into playing every minute of this loan. It’s a good way to judge where he’s at. What’s his influence on a game?
“Because he is going to have to be massive for Leeds to stay up, in terms of his aerial prowess on set pieces and his transition game; winning tackles and going forward.
“I love this move from the standpoint of how tough its going to be. It’s a good test for him. To see where he is at and how he fits into the Premier League,” adds the ex-New England Revolution forward.
“You watch teams that are fighting relegation; they bunker down, there’s no keeping the ball, no possession. Its literally counter-attack, launch it, throw ins, corner kicks. Leeds don’t play that way.”
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