Nuno says Nottingham Forest were right to offload £10.5m player

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Nottingham Forest head coach Nuno has given his verdict on the club’s decision to offload Orel Mangala.

Mangala joined French club Lyon from Premier League outfit Forest on a loan deal in the January transfer window.

So, what has Nuno said about Orel Mangala’s departure from Nottingham Forest? Let’s take a look.

Nuno comments on Orel Mangala’s Nottingham Forest exit

Well, Orel Mangala left Nottingham Forest for Lyon in the January transfer window. The 25-year-old defensive midfielder has moved to the French club on a loan deal. The Ligue 1 outfit have the option to make it permanent at the end of the season.

According to The Athletic, Lyon could have to pay £30 million including add-ons for Mangala in the future. The report has noted that Forest paid £10.5m for the defensive midfielder when they signed from VfB Stuttgart in 2022.

Forest manager Nuno has given his take on the departure of Mangala from his team, and he does not seem to be too fussed that he will not have the 25-year-old Belgium international at his disposal for the rest of the season.

BBC Sport quotes Nuno as saying about leaving Mangala: ”I think it was a good situation for the club, good negotiation, with options and details involved. We have options in midfield and we wish him all the best luck in the world.”

My View: Orel Mangala exit a surprise

In my opinion, the departure of Orel Mangala from Nottingham Forest is a surprise.

I noticed that Forest head coach Nuno was not playing Mangala regularly in the starting lineup after he replaced Steve Cooper in December.

The defensive midfielder was a regular under Cooper, but Nuno probably did not think that he was good enough to play week in and week out for his team.

It will be interesting to see if Forest are affected adversely by Mangala’s departure. Let us not forget that the Reds are in danger of getting relegated to the Championship at the end of the season.

Mangala scored one goal in 19 starts and one substitute appearance in the Premier League this season and scored one goal and provided one assist in 20 starts and seven substitute appearances in the league in 2022-23.