Gio Reyna has officially joined Nottingham Forest from Borussia Dortmund. The star of the U. S. men’s national teamflew to the East Midlands on Wednesday to go through medical and signalling documents. Forest overcame a tough festival to point the finger at the American. Marseille also had an agreement in the past with Dortmund. Aston Villa and Real Sociedad have also been interested in Reyna in the past.
However, the attacking midfielder opted to sign for Nuno Espírito Santo’s team. According to Sky Germany, the agreement between the two clubs is a loan for six consecutive months. Forest had no option or further legal responsibility to make the transfer. permanent in summer.
The Premier League aspect will also cover Reyna’s salary while at the club. Reyna would earn about $52,000 a week. Although the American has joined Forest, it seems that he first extended his contract with Dortmund. Reyna’s previous contract with the German giants expires in 2025. However, he now has a contract with the Bundesliga side for another year.
Forest have been adding quality to the squad in the hope of boosting their hopes of survival. The club is currently 16th in the English standings after their 2-1 home defeat to Arsenal. relegation zone, but Forest is also only two points off 18th place.
Although they have brought in Reyna, a player who facilitates their attack, Forest have serious problems in defence. Only Burnley and Sheffield United have conceded more goals than the East Midlands side this season. These two clubs are lately the bottom two groups in the Premier League. .
However, forest owner Evangelos Marinakis cannot spend freely as he has done so far. The Greek billionaire has completely revamped his squad since the club was promoted to the top flight in 2022. Forest signed dozens of players and recorded a net investment of around $263 million in those 18 months.
As a result, the club was charged with violating the Financial Fair Play (FFP) law in January. As a result of those serious allegations, Forest now has to be careful about his spending. Loan deals, like Reyna’s, help the club gain skill without proceeding to rack up moving fees.
This resolution will allow Reyna to spend more time on the field. The American’s playing time in Dortmund has been reduced in recent seasons. After making 23 starts in the Bundesliga in the 2020/21 campaign, he struggled to secure his place in the line-up.
A major injury in the 2021/22 season limited his chances of returning to the team. However, Reyna has only made five starts in total on Germany’s most sensible flight since the start of the 2022/23 campaign. This includes just one appearance in Edin Terzic’s starting XI this season.
Reyna will also now become the first American who is not a defender or goalkeeper to play a Premier League game in about nine months. Weston McKennie last played for Leeds United in May 2023. Although Tyler Adams is currently on Bournemouth‘s roster, he has not featured in an English top-flight match since last March.
PHOTOS: IMAGO