Nottingham Forest's loan manager has been to check up on one of their more high profile summer transfers
Brian Dick Reach Football Correspondent
13:36, 03 Apr 2026
Arnaud Kalimuendo
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Arnaud Kalimuendo(Image: Getty Images)
Arnaud Kalimuendo has already made more of an impact on loan than he did with his parent club.
The 24-year-old arrived at Nottingham Forest in the summer, when the Reds paid Rennes £26million and offered him a contract until 2030.
However, caught up in the managerial chaos that dominated the first half of the campaign, the Frenchman made only three Europa League starts and none in the Premier League.
As a result he was loaned to Eintracht Frankfurt in early January and Forest made the interesting decision to replace him with Lorenzo Lucca from Napoli.
Unsurprisingly the Italian has done very little in the Garibaldi, while Kalimuendo has become an important player for Albert Riera. He has made ten Bundesliga starts, scored four goals and added an assist for seventh-placed Eintracht.
Forest’s loans manager Owen Coyle Jr has been to see Kalimuendo and says the striker is thriving. In an interview with The Athletic Coyle Jr insisted Kalimuendo remains committed to Forest:
“Kalimuendo has done really, really well. It has been an interesting time for him, because he was a high-profile signing,” he said.
“In the early stages it did not work out for him, for many different reasons. He has gone over there, he is performing, he is scoring goals… but he is still very positive about his relationship with Forest. He talks to the other players regularly. He has been back to watch games.
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“He is heavily invested in Forest. He will return in the summer and we will see where his future lies at Forest, within the squad plan.”
With Chris Wood set to turn 35-years-old next season, Igor Jesus as yet unproven in the Premier League, Taiwo Awoniyi little more than a rotational player and Lucca’s Napoli future in doubt, Kalimuendo could return in the summer with the first team door ajar.
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