Merih Demiral looks to be stuck on the Atalanta bench after turning down a potential £25 million move to Premier League outfit Nottingham Forest on the final day of the January transfer window, according to Corriere Bergamo.
It’s hard to imagine, considering what we know now, that some were tipping Turkey to be the dark horses of last summer’s European Championships. Especially with a centre-half partnership of Demiral and Caglar Soyuncu feeling, at the time, like a collaboration between two of the continent’s most exciting young defenders.
But, since Turkey bombed out in the group stage, things really haven’t gone to plan for either player. The latter will leave Leicester City via the back door when his contract expires. Demiral, meanwhile, has fallen out of favour at Atalanta, starting just one Serie A match since the Qatar World Cup.
According to Corriere Bergamo, the former Juventus prospect has endured a slightly strained relationship with La Dea coach Gian Piero Gasperini of late.
And, having played just 27 minutes of football since the window closed, Demiral may soon be wondering, in his darkest moments, whether he made the right call rejecting Nottingham Forest in favour of fighting for his future in Italy.
Nottingham Forest missed out on Atalanta ace Merih Demiral
Forest would have signed Demiral on loan, with a £25 million option-to-buy clause in his contract. Steve Cooper’s side are not out of the relegation woods just yet. Far from it. But there is a six-point gap between themselves in the bottom three. And, with Leeds, Southampton and Bournemouth seemingly heading in the wrong direction, the two-time European champions have their destiny in their own hands.
Survival now feels like a very realistic possibility.
“Demiral is strong. He can become even stronger in the future,” Italy legend Roberto Baggio told TRT Spor just last year. “He is a young, dynamic, ambitious and hard-working player.”
You don’t lose that talent overnight. Demiral, however, feels like a man in need of a change of scenery if he is to avoid a further plateauing of his undoubted talent.
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