Will Buckley has been passed around the Championship since his 2014 move to Sunderland. Could Nottingham Forest be next on his list of clubs?
Sheffield Wednesday’s Will Buckley (front)
Will Buckley has spent two of his three years at Sunderland passed around the Championship.
The former Brighton winger has been loaned to Leeds United, Birmingham City and Sheffield Wednesday since the start of last term, but has made one more appearance (25) in each of those spells combined than back at his parent club.
With a respectable 24 goals and 18 assists in 134 Championship games before his move to Sunderland, it’s clear the talent’s there with Buckley – he just hasn’t had a settled platform with which to harness it.
However, there could be hope yet for the Greater Mancunian, whose Stadium of Light-mare is expected to end when his contract expires at the end of June.
With his 28th birthday approaching and Wednesday neither likely to offer a permanent deal nor a good fit, Buckley’s next move needs to be carefully deliberated from his side. And a move to a club like Nottingham Forest could be ideal.
2016’s dabble in the overseas market could yet backfire in the worst possible way for Forest, and Championship experience is sure to be on the menu for new boss Mark Warburton – assuming he keeps the club up.
And given that flair players Nicolao Dumitru, Joao Teixeira, Pajtim Kasami and Hildeberto Pereira are likely to feature in an anticipated summer exodus, there should be a Buckley-shaped vacancy on Trentside.
Though Buckley and Warburton worked together only briefly at Watford, when the Forest boss was working in the Hornets’ academy, it would be some surprise if the latter isn’t familiar with the Sunderland man’s – albeit suppressed – talent.
Nottingham Forest manager Mark Warburton
And he could be the man to coax it out, to Forest’s benefit.
Should Nottingham Forest consider a move for Sunderland’s Will Buckley this summer?
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
