Nottingham Forest star James McAtee needs to seriously consider seeking an exit route from the City Ground ahead of the transfer window reopening at the turn of the year after he was overlooked for boss Sean Dyche’s first clash in the City Ground hot-seat.
Although the Tricky Trees recorded a 2-0 victory over Portuguese heavyweights Porto in the Europa League on Thursday, thanks to penalties from Morgan Gibbs-White and Igor Jesus, there were some bold calls made by the new man in the dugout.
At the top of that list was leaving McAtee on the bench, despite Nottingham Forest spending big to get him through the door during the summer, and he may be left with no choice but to contemplate cutting his spell in the Midlands short in order to reignite his career.
McAtee Needs to Prove Worth After Early Dyche Blow
James McAtee during a pre-match warm-up with Nottingham Forest
McAtee is already fighting to save his Nottingham Forest career after he was an unused substitute when Dyche’s reign got underway with a welcome victory over Porto on Thursday, which will no doubt have admirers tempted to turn his head as they make recruitment plans in preparation for the winter transfer window.
The European Championship-winning England under-21 international joined the Tricky Trees from Manchester City in August, for a fee in the region of £30million, with there being a desire to show that he is capable of being a constant threat in the Premier League.
But the early stages of McAtee’s stint on Nottingham Forest’s books have not gone to plan. Following the sackings of Nuno Espirito Santo and Ange Postecoglou, he is already having to get used to life under his third manager at the City Ground.
That will have complicated matters for the attacking midfielder, with him having to quickly adapt to differing styles of play when Tricky Trees owner Evangelos Marinakis has been wielding the axe, and being snubbed by Dyche a matter of days after his appointment does not bode well.
McAtee was the subject of widespread interest before he opted to embark on a fresh challenge at Nottingham Forest, with there being admiration from Premier League rivals and overseas, and he should entertain making a quickfire departure if he continues having to contend with a lack of game time.
McAtee Should be at Forefront of Tricky Trees' Plans
Crystal Palace's Romain Esse in action with Nottingham Forest's James McAtee
There is absolutely no doubt that McAtee should be at the forefront of Dyche’s plans at Nottingham Forest. Although Gibbs-White is the Midlands outfit’s most creative presence, the summer recruit is also a livewire.
The 23-year-old, who has been pocketing £50,000-per-week when bonuses are triggered following his arrival from Manchester City, has the intelligence to unlock defences and would be able to spearhead the Tricky Trees towards the European qualification places.
But, just a matter of days after Nottingham Forest entered a new era, it is abundantly clear that McAtee is facing a battle to win over Dyche. If he is not involved against Bournemouth this weekend, the writing could already be on the wall a matter of weeks after he sealed his switch.
All statistics courtesy of Sofascore - correct as of 24/10/2025