Why Nottingham Forest should keep hold of Joe Lolley amidst interest
According to a report in Daily Mail, Premier League club Watford are keeping close tabs on Nottingham Forest winger Joe Lolley and a bid during the January transfer window is under consideration. Hornets manager Javi Gracia is watching the progress of the player and has taken an interest.
Forest signed Lolley from Huddersfield Town in January for around £1m, but they now want £5m for the winger. Cardiff City and West Bromwich Albion are also interested in the player, who is contracted to the City Ground until 2022.
Here’s why Nottingham Forest shouldn’t even think of selling the 26-year-old, not just in January but also in the summer transfer window:
Lolley’s contributions priceless
Joe Lolley has been terrific in the Championship this season, and is probably in the form of his life. He has scored 6 goals and supplied 6 assists in 19 appearances this campaign (four appearances from the bench).
These are fantastic numbers for a player who is playing as a right winger in a 4-2-3-1 system, where wide attacking players have to track back and hug the touchline more often than not.
Talking about the Englishman in terms of what he can do on a football pitch other than scoring and creating goals, he possesses an abundance of attributes. He can dribble past defenders, doing so at a rate of 1.5 this season.
Playing key passes through for the strikers to score goals is another vital quality of his. The 26-year-old supplies key passes at an average of 1.4 per match.
Even though he is a winger, Lolley is not afraid of taking shots from distance when the defenders back off and give him space. He attempts an average of 2.3 shots per game, epitomising his hunger to contribute to the goals column.
He is no stranger when it comes to digging deep and helping out the defenders in the wide areas. All in all, he is a productive player for Aitor Karanka and Nottingham Forest could ill-afford to lose him any time soon.
The club are in a good position in the league, in contention to fight for top-flight promotion this season. Losing a key player like Lolley would deflate their confidence and finding a replacement in January would be an impossible job.
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Furthermore, they should keep the player beyond the summer as well. If promotion is achieved, his contribution would help them survive the Premier League next season.
Stats Courtesy – Whoscored.com