Renan Lodi’s decision to leave Atletico Madrid for Premier League newcomers Nottingham Forest has left Spanish football expert Terry Gibson ‘baffled’, speaking on the El Tel and Jon’s La Liga Weekly podcast.
You could certainly argue that Renan Lodi may be the most ambitious of Nottingham Forest’s 21, yes twenty-one, summer signings. Ok, he’s not quite as expensive as Morgan Gibbs-White, despite the presence of a £25 million option-to-buy clause in the loanee’s City Ground contract.
He’s not a proven Premier League operator like Jesse Lingard. But a newly-promoted club signing a 15-time Brazil international and La Liga champion? A man who started Champions League knock-out games against Manchester United and Manchester City only a few months ago? A man on Pep Guardiola’s transfer wishlist?
Imagine if you’d told Forest fans a year ago that Renan Lodi would soon be wearing Garibaldi red. They’d have been forgiven for questioning your sanity.
Gibson, meanwhile, wonders why Lodi felt the need to leave after making no fewer than 42 appearances under Diego Simeone in 2021/22.
Renan Lodi swaps Atletico Madrid for Nottingham Forest
“I’m baffled. I’m assuming there’s more money involved for him,” says the former Tottenham forward.
“I think he got enough playing time. He said he was worried about his World Cup place. But I thought he was getting enough playing time at Atletico. His competition was Saul and (Yannick Ferreira) Carrasco; midfielders who play in the wing-back role. He (Lodi) is a natural left-back.”
Renan Lodi won’t look back on his Nottingham Forest debut with much fondness. The former Athletico Paranaense man was thrown in at the deepest of deep ends just 48 hours after putting pen to paper; starting in the 6-0 defeat to an Erling Haaland-inspired Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
‘Thrown in’
“He looked bewildered. And then he’s thrown in against Man City away!” Gibson adds.
“He won’t have even known the names of half the players he played with. I have said in the past, and I still stand by it; players can come straight into a team at 24 or 48 hours’ notice. But it’s different if you’re coming from a different league and you don’t know the players.
“So I was surprised at that one.”
Tottenham misfit Sergio Reguilon replaced Lodi at the Wanda Metropolitano.
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