New York City striker Valentin Castellanos was courted by Nottingham Forest in 2022 but now he’s banging them in for Girona in La Liga.
The talisman is on loan in Spain from the MLS outfit and he’s busy taking the European game by storm.
Castellanos has been pretty steady all season but just lately he’s created a whole new meaning for the term goal machine.
Recently, he scored all four goals as Girona stunned Real Madrid with a 4-2 win. He’s also scored in games against Elche and Sevilla either side of that victory.
Castellanos was a Dane Murphy target. He eyed the player when Forest were trying to sign another striker or two in January 2022.
The Reds ended up ignoring the overseas market. Instead, they added Keinan Davis and Sam Surridge with both players making a positive impact.
In total this season, Castellanos has scored 13 goals in all competitions. It’s a decent return for the 24-year-old who almost headed to Forest.
Forest could live to rue this one. They’ve often struggled for goals this season and Castellanos might have been a decent addition to the Premier League.
At this stage, it’s not clear what the future holds. Given his goal return, surely Girons will be keen to make the move permanently in the summer.
Courted by Forest in 2022, Castellanos is now on fire
A recent four-goal haul against Real Madrid has clearly been the highlight of his season. His number of goals in his first season in Europe, however, is also impressive.
It’s hard to completely understand how he’d have fared at the City Ground. It’s fair to say that he probably wouldn’t have done much worse than the club’s other options this season, however.
Castellanos might find himself out of Girona’s price range in the summer. As a result, other clubs might take a bit of a liking to potentially signing the striker.
If Forest remain in the Premier League, perhaps they will take a look once more.
Receive a digest of our best Nottingham Forest content each week direct to your mailbox
