A report from AS has claimed that Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone was disappointed to see Renan Lodi join Nottingham Forest.
The Brazilian joined the Reds back in August and has made six appearances for the club.
Lodi was a regular in the Atletico team last season and helped the team reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
He made 42 appearances under Simeone during 2021/22 and the boss was disappointed to see him leave.
Lodi has missed out on a place at the World Cup with Brazil and perhaps his loan move hasn’t had the desired impact.
AS have claimed that the 24-year-old has been a ‘theoretical luxury reinforcement’ for the Reds.
He has made just six appearances, with five of those coming as a starter in Steve Cooper’s team.
Lodi has had a knack for being on the pitch when Forest have been on the wrong end of some thrashings.
He played against Leicester, Arsenal and Manchester City when the Reds were given stern lessons.
Lodi is still striving for consistency but ultimately he’s still a decent player and a run in the team could improve his form.
Forest have agreed on a deal to buy Lodi for £25 million next summer if the club fancies doing so.
It’s likely that the Reds will need to stay in the Premier League for that to happen.
Simeone wasn’t happy to see Lodi join Forest
It’s a trendy trait for Forest to single out overseas signings at the expense of homegrown stars.
Some have claimed that Lodi isn’t up to the challenge of playing in the Premier League and isn’t a very good player.
That is frankly absolutely nonsense.
Lodi has played for Atletico in a title-winning team and has also played 16 times for the Brazil national team.
At 24 he has bags of time on his side and the Forest fans who think he’s rubbish just don’t know what they’re talking about.
The challenge for Steve Cooper is to get the best out of Lodi.
It’s early days in his loan and after the World Cup, he may come back ready to show the Premier League exactly what he’s capable of.