Nottingham Forest were desperate to sign Zian Flemming during the summer of 2021 and last week he showcased what he’s capable of.
The Reds made several bids for the Dutchman over a year ago, with Dane Murphy viewing him as a top target.
With clubs still counting the cost of the pandemic, however, Forest couldn’t match what Fortuna Sittard wanted for him.
In the summer, he joined Millwall and it was always going to be intriguing to see how he performed in England.
It’s always going to be a tough baptism of fire for any overseas import to make an impact in the Championship.
Still, it’s been a strong start for Flemming and he’s slowly but surely starting to find his feet under Gary Rowett.
Last week, the Lions played out a 1-1 draw with Rotherham and Flemming stole the show.
His equalising goal was so emphatic that Millwall would be forgiven for already etching his name onto the Goal of the Season award.
A decent move was finished off by Flemming who wrapped his laces around the ball and sent it fizzing into the top corner.
It highlighted exactly what he is capable of and he seems like a shrewd piece of business by Millwall.
The former Sittard player only cost the Londoners £1.7 million and already, some other clubs might have wished they’d been more interested.
Flemming showcased what he’s capable of
Forest were never going to pursue the 24-year-old once they had won promotion to the Premier League.
It was always likely that the Reds would have bigger fish to fry in terms of their summer recruitment drive.
Flemming looks like a useful player though and during his time with Sittard, he scored 27 goals from 63 appearances.
The challenge for Rowett is where to get the best out of him.
Already this season he has played as a striker, a number 10 and as a right-winger.
It was playing through the middle behind a striker that Flemming produced his moment of magic and perhaps that’s the way to go.
At 24, he could still improve as a player.
As a result, perhaps Forest won’t be scrubbing him off their radar just yet.
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