Nottingham Forest have a number of players who will see their future come into question during the summer – and one of them is World Cup winner Gonzalo Montiel.
The Reds performer joined the ranks at the City Ground in the summer of 2023 initially on a season-long loan deal with an option of a purchase.
It’s fair to say that things haven’t really gone according to plan for Montiel at Forest. He’s made just 14 appearances in all competitions and hasn’t played since February.
The defender failed to make the grade under Steve Cooper, starting just twice. David Prutton questioned Montiel after his first City Ground outing for Forest against Burnley
Under Nuno Espirito Santo he did initially earn a reprieve but an injury has hampered his progress and at the moment he’s deemed a backup option from the bench.
Neco Williams has now stepped into the breach at right-back. He’s been one of the most improved performers of the season and that has made life difficult for Montiel at Forest.
Naturally, Montiel will be one of a host of players wondering what the future might hold at Forest. Now, some news has come to light regarding the man who holds a World Cup winner’s medal.
Report delivers update on Forest future of Gonzalo Montiel
Well, this might not come as a surprise but it would seem as though Forest don’t have any plans to keep Montiel beyond the summer.
The player hasn’t got on the pitch since hobbling out of the action as Forest won a replay in the FA Cup against Bristol City back in February.
Now, according to Orgullo Biri, the Reds have informed Sevilla of their intentions not to activate the purchase option for the defender this summer.
Montiel will not meet the required number of games required for Forest to trigger a mandatory purchase option and now his future looks uncertain.
It’s claimed that this is a blow for Sevilla as they had counted on receiving £9 million for his services at the end of his loan deal.
The La Liga outfit must now hope that they can persuade another club to sign him permanently as they look to balance the books this summer.
However, the report does claim that although there is already interest in loaning Montiel for next season, selling him could now prove tricky.
Forest right to offload surplus defender
There was a very brief period where Espirito Santo looked perfect for Montiel. The defender was class against Newcastle and Manchester United at Christmas and it seemed as though a corner had been turned.
However, he’s struggled to stay fit and furthermore, he’s been a victim of Williams coming in and grasping his chance with two hands.
Signing Montiel permanently doesn’t make a great deal of sense for Forest. Ola Aina can also cover at right-back and Williams could be the number one in that position for years.
At 27-years-old, there is definitely a player in Montiel but he’s hardly set the Premier League alight and in our view, this looks sensible from Forest.
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