It was a cameo barely 15 minutes long but it was still the realisation of a “childhood dream” for Nottingham Forest’s deadline day signing.
Luca Netz had always wanted to play in the Premier League. He turned down an offer from Manchester City at the age of 15, but at Elland Road he finally got the opportunity to tick off a long-held ambition.
The cause was already lost, with the Reds 3-0 down to Leeds United, when he took to the pitch in the 76th minute in the fixture earlier this month. The 22-year-old gave a good account of himself, though, and can consider himself somewhat unfortunate not to have had another chance since.
Not included in Forest’s Europa League squad for the knockout stages, the Premier League represents the German left-back’s only opportunity for minutes in the remainder of the season following his move from Borussia Monchengladbach. Vitor Pereira opted not to name him among the substitutes for his first league game at the helm, meaning there were no full-backs on the bench for last Sunday’s 1-0 defeat to Liverpool.
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Netz is said to be well-liked by his new teammates. It appears he has a bit of convincing to do when it comes to his new manager, however.
Pereira’s predecessor, Sean Dyche, had described Netz as a player “brought in for what comes next” - albeit he added that wouldn’t prevent him from contributing in the here and now. Still, Netz may find himself having to be a little more patient than he might have liked.
For the time being, the Berlin-born defender is said to be focused on getting his head down in training and working hard to try to impress Pereira. If called upon, Netz has been backed to show the stomach for a relegation fight.
“He should have the nerves for a relegation battle; Gladbach faced some precarious situations in the recent past and he's familiar with that,” Hannah Gobrecht, Borussia Monchengladbach reporter for the Rheinische Post, told NottinghamshireLive. “Don't be surprised, his facial expression during matches often appears rather bored and unemotional, but that's just how he is.
“Luca Netz is basically the kind of player you need in modern football. He's a classic wing-back who can play several positions on the flank and is flexible within the system – whether it's a back three, four or five. He's also familiar with the 4-2-3-1 formation Forest have been playing from his time at Gladbach.
“His strengths can easily be summarized. He's fast and has a strong left foot, which he also used to take corners and free-kicks at Gladbach. However, he should actually be more of a goal threat, if he can utilise his left foot even more effectively.
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“I see his main weakness being in defensive one-on-one situations, even though he recently made progress in that. In attack, he often relied on safe back-passes at Gladbach and, in my opinion, too rarely attempted to get to the byline to deliver crosses from dangerous positions. Of course, that requires confidence, and I think he lacked that at Borussia recently because he was constantly swapping places with his competitor, Lukas Ullrich.”
Netz’s switch to the City Ground before the winter transfer window closed came somewhat out of the blue. The Reds had been linked with a number of left-backs as they sought to strengthen in a department sorely in need of additional resources, but Netz’s name was not one to have been mentioned prior to deadline day.
“A young, up and coming player,” Dyche said after the signing had been completed. “He adds balance. We were a bit limited in that position, with natural players that is.
“He is one amongst a number of players here brought in for what comes next. It doesn’t mean he can’t play now, but there is a future thinking behind that.”
When the £2 million deal had been completed, Forest’s global head of football, Edu, declared: “A part of the model is to add talented young players to the squad that can grow with us. Despite his age, Luca has played well over 100 times at the highest level in Germany, so we are signing a player with a good blend of potential and experience.”
Indeed, not so long ago Netz was one of the highest rated prospects in Germany. He joined Hertha Berlin as a 10-year-old and played for the club at every youth level as he came up through the ranks, making his senior debut aged just 17.
In 2021, after breaking through at Hertha, the Bundesliga’s official website listed him as among the “top 20 teenagers to watch” in the division - alongside a then 18-year-old Jude Bellingham who was at Borussia Dortmund at the time. Netz joined Gladbach that same year and went on to make 124 appearances for the Bundesliga outfit.
When Gladbach paid a reported €4 million (£3.5m) for him, he became the most expensive player of his age group to move from one Bundesliga club to another. Hertha had tried their best to hang on to him, making Netz what they described as a “very good” new contract offer.
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Max Eberl, Gladbach sporting director at the time, outlined why the transfer was viewed as such a coup. "Luca Netz is a very interesting player whom we have been watching for some time," he said when the deal was announced. "He is one of the biggest talents in Germany in his position."
Netz has represented his country at various youth levels, including playing for the Under-21s when he was just 18. Several years ago, he declared winning a senior cap was his goal. He hasn’t got there yet, but then his development hasn’t quite gone as expected - with injury issues and a roll call of managers at Gladbach having played a part.
Early on in his spell with Gladbach, he used to frequently suffer from cramp during the second half of games - hardly unusual for a young player adapting to high-level professional football. To address the issue, he changed his diet and worked with a fitness trainer.
He seemingly always had his eye on a move to England at some point. “I had an offer from Manchester City when I was 15, but I turned it down,” he said in an interview a couple of years ago. “The fact is, the Premier League is a childhood dream of mine. I can’t say today whether it will ever happen.”
Gladbach had little choice but to let him go this winter as Netz was due to be out of contract at the end of the season. Sporting director Rouven Schroder lamented the club’s loss when the player’s departure was announced.
“Luca has developed at Borussia from a talented youngster into an established Bundesliga professional,” he said at the time. “It has become clear in recent months that our journey together would come to an end in the summer. This meant it was our last economic opportunity to complete a transfer that benefits all parties.”
AC Milan, Lazio, Torino and Tottenham Hotspur were all linked with him, but Netz ended up agreeing a four-and-a-half-year deal Trentside. After putting pen to paper, he said: "When they (Forest) called, there wasn't much thinking. I just said I wanted to do it.”
As with many modern full-backs, Netz likes to get forward and describes himself as a “dynamic” player. He registered 18 assists and scored three goals during his time at Gladbach. It might take time, but Gobrecht is convinced the deal can eventually prove successful for both parties.
“The transfer fee should quickly pay off for Forest if he gets playing time,” she said. “This will further increase his market value by the summer, and he has the potential to be worth €10-15 million (£8.7-13m) quickly – if his performances are up to par.
“Basically, it was time for him to move on from Gladbach. His development hadn't been progressing.
“When he arrived in 2021, things moved quickly. He played, he played well, he improved. He also became a regular starter for the German Under-21 national team very early.
“From 2024 onwards, when his competitor Lukas Ullrich emerged (Netz was injured), he never really got back into form. Ullrich first took his starting spot at Gladbach, then in the national team. I'm curious to see how he settles in the Premier League and how he copes physically.”
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