Nottingham Forest manager Aitor Karanka has told winger Joe Lolley to focus on his current club after his disappointing first half display against Derby County on Monday.
The Daily Mirror reported last month on their transfer centre [16:42] that Newcastle United and Fulham were both interested in signing the 26-year-old.
However, Karanka has given the player a stern warning: “If I were one of the clubs [looking at him] and I saw his first half performance, I would not be looking to sign him,” he told the Nottingham Post.
“He needs to think about here; he knows that he is important here and he wants to be here. He needs to forget everything else and work hard to improve.”
OPINION
Karanka really laid down the law here, didn’t he? It’s true though, Lolley was below par in the first period against Derby on Monday, but he did improve after the break. He twice came close to scoring and was by far Forest’s most dangerous player after the break. He has, along with Lewis Grabban, been the team’s best performer this season and so it’s natural that he would attract interest from elsewhere. There are many Premier League teams who could use a winger of his quality, but if his focus slips from Forest then so will his performances and then that lucrative move to the top flight will never materialise. It’s in everyone’s best interests, then, for him to focus on playing his best football week in week out for his current team. Forest put their faith in him after he failed to cut the mustard at Huddersfield Town, and now he must repay them by continuing to excel in the Championship.