Nottingham Forest suffered a 2-0 defeat to Manchester United on Sunday which left Steve Cooper’s men in the Premier League relegation zone.
That display did not reflect well on Nottingham Forest, and now, those at the City Ground are back in the spotlight after an evening where they weren’t even playing.
What’s the story?
It was Manchester United‘s turn to taste defeat on Thursday evening as they suffered a 3-0 loss to Sevilla in the UEFA Europa League, but why does this concern Nottingham Forest?
Well, Loic Bade – a player who Nottingham Forest signed on loan but never used – was among the stars of the show.
Cooper struck an agreement with Rennes to take the French prodigy on loan with an option to buy back in the summer transfer window, but bizarrely never used him.
Bade did not play a single second of football at Nottingham Forest, before his loan was cancelled in December so he could join Sevilla.
The 23-year-old defender has since become one of the Spanish side’s best players, and even scored Sevilla’s second goal in their 3-0 win over Manchester United.
WhoScored shows that Bade registered three successful aerial duels against Erik ten Hag’s side, in addition to four tackles and one interception.
It was an excellent display from the Frenchman, and his performance reflects very badly on Nottingham Forest – surely he could have helped them in their relegation battle?
Nottingham Forest need a strategy
Whether Nottingham Forest stay up or go down, they cannot continue to operate how they have been.
To sign a player as highly rated as Bade, only to leave him on the bench for six months before he thrives in a leading European competition elsewhere, is not a good look.
Filippo Giraldi – who was Director of Football at the City Ground – recently received the sack, which suggests Evangelos Marinakis is more than aware that something needs to change in terms of recruitment.
With Ross Wilson now at the helm after being plucked from Rangers, there needs to be a fresh strategy.
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