Nottingham Forest signed over 20 players during the summer transfer window. Manager Steve Cooper is finally getting the squad to gel following so many signings, as the Reds are outside the relegation zone. The club’s summer transfer signings have not all succeeded at the City Ground.
While Morgan Gibbs-White and Taiwo Awoniyi have scored goals this season, Jesse Lingard has struggled to live up to the expectations Nottingham Forest’s board had when he inked a one-year £200,000-a-week contract.
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Proponents of the deal claimed it was a win-win situation for Forest. Lingard signed a one-season deal and a successful season would benefit the newly-promoted club regardless if he stayed an extra season. It is clear now that Nottingham Forest haven’t got the impact they were hoping for when Lingard signed his contract last summer.
The former Manchester United player has appeared in 14 Premier League games at the time of writing, scoring zero goals and assisting zero goals. While the Premier League hasn’t been kind to Lingard, where he has tallied 867 minutes (an average of 61.9 minutes per game), the attacking midfielder has played well in the Carabao Cup.
Forest are in the semifinals of the Carabao Cup and will play Manchester United over two legs after knocking out Wolverhampton on penalties in the quarterfinals.
Injuries have recently stopped Lingard from being a part of the Nottingham Forest matchday squad. Lingard is nursing a hamstring injury and has missed four games in all competitions.
Lingard’s injuries weren’t the only thing limiting his playing time for Forest. The attacking midfielder failed to complete a full 90 minutes in his last nine starts. Lingard hasn’t finished a full 90 minutes since the second matchday of the Premier League season.
So, what is next for Lingard? The midfielder had several options ahead of the Premier League season before joining Nottingham Forest. West Ham had offered the attacking midfielder a salary of £ 127,000 per week but Forest’s offer was better and subsequently accepted by the player. Lingard was also offered a deal by Major League Soccer club DC United. The American soccer club hired former Manchester United player Wayne Rooney last summer as manager, and the former striker attempted to learn Lingard across the Atlantic.
The player’s contract will expire on June 30, 2023, meaning Lingard has six months left on the deal. He can agree on a pre-contract with a club overseas, but which clubs would seek out Lingard’s services? Yes, an MLS club could ignite interest in the midfielder, yet it may be unlikely that a Premier League side sees value in the player for next season.
There is still time left for Lingard to show the form West Ham fans saw in the second half of the 2020-21 Premier League season when he was on loan to the London club. Lingard scored nine goals and assisted five in 16 matches. It was the best output of his career, but that time seems so far away now.
