The former Forest central defender and Sky Sports pundit has said that he is surprised that the Reds let Mangala leave in the middle of the season.
So, what has Michael Dawson said about Orel Mangala? Let’s take a look.
Nottingham Forest offloaded Orel Mangala in the January transfer window.
Well, Nottingham Forest were quite busy in the final days of the January transfer window, as Nuno modified his squad for the second half of the season.
Belgium international goalkeeper Matz Sels, USA international attacker Giovanni Reyna, and Portuguese forward Rodrigo Ribeiro were the players who were added to the Forest first-team squad.
Forest offloaded a number of players, including right-back Serge Aurier, goalkeeper Ethan Horvath, central defender Scott McKenna, and midfielder Brandon Aguilera.
The Reds, who are in danger of getting relegated to the Championship at the end of the season, also sent Orel Mangala out on loan to Lyon for the rest of the season.
Lyon has the option to make the loan deal permanent at the end of the season. According to The Athletic, Lyon could have to pay £30 million, including add-ons, for the 25-year-old Belgian international defensive.
Michael Dawson gives his verdict.
Former Nottingham Forest center-back Michael Dawson has given his verdict on the club’s decision to let Orel Mangala go.
The Sky Sports pundit has said that he is surprised that Forest let the midfielder go given that he was a regular on the first team.
The pundit, though, has noted that it was probably because of Forest’s FFP issues that they thought to cash in on Mangala.
Dawson said on Sky Sports News (12:18 p.m., February 3, 2024): “Reyna is coming in, and Ribeiro looks like a young one for the future. Reyna was surplus to requirement at Dortmund, with Sancho going. So, I think it’s a position they looked at.
“I think the reason it probably happened was Mangala going out the door to Lyon for around £30 million. That was a little bit of a surprise for me because he plays every week for Forest in the middle of the park.
“He was one of their main players, but they must have looked at the finances and gone, ‘He’s good money for a good player’.”
Orel Mangala joined Forest in the summer of 2022 and soon became a regular for the Reds.
The 25-year-old scored one goal in 19 starts and made one substitute appearance in the Premier League this season.
Last season, Mangala scored one goal and provided one assist in 20 starts and seven substitute appearances in the Premier League for Forest.
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