Former Nottingham Forest star Britt Assombalonga made a somewhat surprising move in the summer. In just two months with his new club, however, he’s showcasing just what a decent player he is.
With Rangers reportedly close to signing him at one point – and Forest loosely linked – Assombalonga headed to Turkey. He signed a deal with newly-promoted Adana Demirspor.
It’s a fascinating story really. The club was founded in 1940 and are now bankrolled by wealthy investors who have lofty ambitions.
Assombalonga is managed by Vincenzo Montella; whilst his strike partner is Mario Balotelli and the club’s number one goalkeeper is former Forest loanee Aro Muric.
There are other big names in the squad. Argentinean Lucas Castro pulls the midfield strings, alongside Birkir Bjarnason who spent some time with Aston Villa.
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Elsewhere, Gokhan Inler is the captain, whilst former Tottenham player Benjamin Stambouli is also on the books.
It’s the form of Assombalonga that is catching the eye though. Amid a plethora of quality players, he is busy doing what he does best.
Interestingly, he has been used as part of a three-pronged attack on occasions. He’s been forced to operate on the left and right flanks are various points so far.
Assombalonga has only actually started three games for his new club but he has featured in all eight of the team’s fixtures so far.
Against Besiktas recently he scored and registered an assist during a 3-3 draw.
He has three goals to his name so far and surely can’t be far away from earning himself more starts in the team.
Forest might have welcomed Assombalonga back
Given the money he left Forest to earn, it was always going to be difficult for any Championship club to tempt him in the summer.
He would have been a class addition to the Reds ranks though. At 28, he would have added something to the front-line and looks capable of scoring goals for a few more years.
Thankfully, Forest do have Lewis Grabban bang in form. He looks like a man in the mood this season and that can only bode well.
Adana have won three and drawn one of their last four games and things look to be on the up.
If Assombalonga continues banging them in, they could enjoy an excellent maiden campaign in the Turkish top-flight.