Nottingham Forest FC has a potential big steal on their hands in this January transfer window with the addition of Giovanni Reyna. Reyna will join the club on loan from Dortmund until June 2024. Nottingham Forest can obtain Reyna permanently with Dortmund all but giving up on the attacking midfielder with a €15m price tag.
With Reyna’s market value anywhere from €20m to €22m, this loan could be a “sure thing” permanent move by summer’s end. So how does the move bid for the USMNT international star?
Rise of a USMNT Star
Though born in Sunderland, England, Reyna has football in his genes with his father, Claudio Reyna, and his mother, Danielle Reyna, who both played for the USMNT and USWNT, respectively. Claudio was a member of Sunderland during the time of Reyna’s birth. When Reyna was five years old, his family returned to the United States and a short time later in 2015, Reyna joined the New York City Football Club academy team at 13 years of age.
Downfall and Eventual Loan
The 2022/2023 campaign would be his best season to date earning seven goals in 22 appearances. Looking to have turned the corner from his unfortunate injuries, the 2023/2024 season has not been a bright one this far. With 14 appearances this season, Reyna has yet to score a goal. The move appears to have happened at the perfect time for not only Reyna, but the two teams involved as well.
A Potential Gem For Nottingham Forest
Making all efforts to strive off entering the bottom three and face relegation, Nottingham Forest could use a spark in the goal column, currently 16th out of the 20 Premier League clubs with 27 goals through 22 fixture matches. Chris Wood is currently Nottingham’s leading scorer with eight goals, ranking him tied for 10th in the league. This shows the club has talent along with Morgan Gibbs-White to build a strong attacking half.
The only issue for Reyna could be playing where he wants, which as the number 10. That is currently being manned by Gibbs-White, who Nottingham broke up the safe to obtain nearly one year ago. Gibbs-White has been involved in nearly 20% of the club’s goals and has played in 90% of game time minutes. There is a chance though that Reyna could end up a central midfield role should Nottingham favour a different setup. Playing alongside Gibbs-White would make an extremely formidable midfield.
How Will Reyna Fit In?
With Nottingham in need of a spark, Reyna can not only provide the boost the club needs to fight off relegation, but he can also get himself pointed in the right direction. Reyna would get his first taste of Premier play, entering in the 78th minute of play against Bournemouth last weekend.
Possibly foreshadowing what is to come, Reyna had the second-highest touch count with 21 touches. He also had the highest pass accuracy of all players on the field during his time with an 89.47% accuracy rate.
With Callum Hudson-Odoi sustaining an injury in that same match, it looks like Reyna may have found his way into the starting 11. Showing some defensive prowess as well, Reyna looks to be meshing well early with his new club.
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