Lorenzo Lucca
Lorenzo Lucca has found himself in a difficult position at Nottingham Forest over the past few weeks. Backing for him has now arrived in the form of his former club’s owner.
Two weeks ago, SportWitness covered the striker’s ankle injury which kept him out for two Premier League games.
He returned to action in the Europa League second leg Round of 16 against Midtjylland, playing 120 minutes. Lucca was then left out of the squad against Tottenham, giving rise to more speculation.
The player clarified on social media that his wife is about to give birth, which is probably why he was missing at the weekend.
Despite that, it is easy to be concerned about the 25-year-old’s time at Nottingham Forest. News about his situation has been doing the rounds in Italy and Udinese owner Gianpaolo Pozzo was recently asked about him.
Striker backed to succeed
The Italian spoke to Radio Parlamento in a detailed interview – relayed by Tuttomercatoweb. He was specifically asked about Lorenzo Lucca’s struggles at Napoli and Nottingham Forest.
Pozzo is confident that the forward will turn things around.
He saw Lucca up close during the player’s time at Udinese, where he scored 12 times last season.
Pozzo said, urging fans for patience: “We had him here, working well; he had some excellent seasons. You have to be patient; things don’t work out right away.”
The Udinese owner also shut down talk around Lucca’s attitude, suggesting it is fine for a player to take time at new clubs.
“I don’t know why. It’s impossible for a player so young to reverse his performance from one year to the next. He definitely needs to be the player we knew. He has character and scored goals.”
🇮🇹 Lorenzo Lucca | “No one could stand him”
➡️ Italian criticism going over the top
✂️ Nottingham Forest loanee even targeted for using a different hairdresser to other players…https://t.co/tOTVIKCm5p #nffc
— Sport Witness (@Sport_Witness) March 10, 2026
The Italian press has been on Lucca’s back for his attitude during his time at Napoli. There were also fears that those issues have carried forward at Nottingham Forest. Pozzo has silenced those question marks, standing up for his former player.
Time running out at City Ground
It is fair to ask for patience but that is what Nottingham Forest don’t really have right now. They are in a relegation battle and need immediate results, which is why Lorenzo Lucca is being expected to make a mark quickly.
He has very little time to turn things around now, with a return to Napoli looking very likely.
The most he can do is make a mark when called upon to do a job. Nottingham Forest have an option to buy him €40m, which seems next to impossible to be triggered, the way things are going.
🇧🇷 Cuiabano | From zero minutes at Nottingham Forest to standout in Brazil
➡️ €10m decision looming
📈 On radar for national team
➡️ Explanation of where things stand as player shineshttps://t.co/QDVxbfM3ax #nffc
— Sport Witness (@Sport_Witness) March 24, 2026