With the number of signings made by Nottingham Forest over the past two seasons, there are undoubtedly going to be a few players who fail to live up to expectations.
Emmanuel Dennis, who managed to bag ten goals and six assists in a relegated Watford side, joined the Reds in a deal worth around £20m including add-ons.
Remo Freuler joined the Reds in the summer of 2022, having gained a reputation as one of the most influential and efficient centre midfielders in Europe from his time at Atalanta in Serie A.
However, after promising starts to life at the City Ground, it quickly became apparent that both players weren’t up to scratch for Forest’s battle to stay in the Premier League.
Both players barely featured towards the back end of last season, with Dennis and Freuler only playing for 18 minutes combined throughout the remaining six games of the 2022/23 campaign.
Despite their poor performances at the City Ground, the pair were no way near as ineffective as one player who left the club during the summer of 2023.
Jesse Lingard’s stats at Nottingham Forest
During the summer of 2022, Jesse Lingard was one of 23 new additions that arrived at the City Ground, with the former Manchester United man arguably the highest profile.
Lingard rejected a move to West Ham United, a club where he scored nine times during 16 appearances in the 2020/21 season, in favour of a move to the City Ground to play under then-boss Steve Cooper.
Upon his arrival in Nottingham, the winger signed a 12-month contract, with Lingard failing to make a real impression during his time in the East Midlands.
He only made 20 appearances in all competitions during the 2022/23 campaign, becoming a bit-part player after poor form and multiple injury spells on the sideline.
The former Manchester United attacker failed to register a single goal or assist in the Premier League during his only season with the Reds, with Lingard scoring twice – both goals coming in the Carabao Cup against Blackburn Rovers and Tottenham Hotspur.
It was a far cry from his days in the England set-up and indeed at Old Trafford where he contributed 35 goals in 232 outings.
How Jesse Lingard’s K-League debut played out
After being released by Forest in June 2023, Lingard failed to attract any interest from any other Premier League sides, with the 31-year-old without a club until last month when he remarkably joined South Korean side FC Seoul.
Lingard is said to be on just £17.5k-per-week in South Korea, a massive drop of £162k-p/w since his time at the City Ground, with the ex-United man looking to capture some sort of form once again.
A month after his move to Asia, the attacker made his debut a couple of days ago – coming on as a substitute in the 77th minute against Gwangju with the attacker booed as he was introduced to the fixture.
Lingard failed to make an impact during his 13 minutes on the pitch, winning 50% of the duels he contested and only averaging a touch a minute as he was brought on to salvage a point for Seoul.
The attacker also committed a rather cynical foul that saw him receive a yellow card before his side conceded once more, condemning them to a 2-0 defeat and rooting them to the bottom of the K-League 1 table. It’s safe to say it was a ‘nightmare debut’ – as the Mirror put it – for the now 31-year-old.
He’s endured a turbulent few years since his Old Trafford departure, with Forest making the right decision in letting the 31-year-old leave after his poor start to life at Seoul.
