In the January transfer window, Sport Witness regularly covered Lorenzo Lucca’s initial loan transfer to Nottingham Forest.
The striker arrived after a disappointing few months at Napoli, who had loaned him from Udinese with a purchase obligation. His failure to become a regular meant that the Italian champions were quick to move him on.
Initially, Lucca scored on his Nottingham Forest debut against Leeds United. Since then, the striker hasn’t found the net and was on the bench for the loss to Liverpool.
There is now a feeling that he will leave the City Ground in the summer.
Belief Lucca isn’t impressing Nottingham Forest
Calciomercato IT report on the 25-year-old’s situation, noting he is ‘failing to make a difference’ at the club.
That is why Nottingham Forest are highly unlikely to sign him permanently. A permanent deal could turn out to be next to impossible if Vitor Pereira’s side fail to stay in the Premier League this season.
The report also mentions interest from Lazio, who will be looking to sign Lucca in the summer. There is no clarity about Napoli’s say in the matter, as they had an obligation to buy the striker from Udinese.
They interrupted the loan deal but can still have a say in the player’s future. It can be presumed that they signed him permanently before sending him to Nottingham Forest.
Too early to judge Lucca
Nottingham Forest arrival Lorenzo Lucca
EINDHOVEN, NETHERLANDS – OCTOBER 21: Referee Daniel Siebert shows a red card to Lorenzo Lucca of SSC Napoli during the UEFA Champions League League Phase MD3 match between PSV and SSC Napoli
It is important to note that Lucca started just once in Serie A this season. He was second-choice under Antonio Conte, with Rasmus Hojlund thriving as a starter under the Italian.
As a result, the former Pisa player never played enough to showcase his skillset, which was quite evident at Udinese last season.
He is clearly a player who needs game time before he scores goals. That is why it is too early to judge his qualities in the Premier League. Once Nottingham Forest give him regular minutes, that is when they should make a final decision about Lucca’s future.