Nottingham Forest is set to cut its losses on Super Eagles striker, Emmanuel Dennis whom they coughed out a fee in the region of £20million for from relegated Watford.
Since promotion back to the Premier League in 2022, Forest has made some questionable decisions when it comes to player wages.
The club’s erratic and careless approach when making signings is just one of the reasons the club broke the Premier League’s PSR rules, which resulted in Forest receiving a four-point deduction last week.
Despite the attempts to lower the wage bill, the club is still forking out way too much on players who have failed to make an impact at the club, with one player, in particular, paid a hefty fee every week even though he’s currently spending the season away from the City Ground.
After joining Forest under Steve Cooper, the Super Eagles ace failed to make any sort of impact for the club, with the former Watford man looking a shadow of his former self.
He made his debut in the 2-0 home defeat against Tottenham Hotspur, with the Nigerian coming on as a 69th-minute substitute.
However, the 26-year-old would have to wait just under two months for his first Reds start, with Dennis getting his chance against Aston Villa in the middle of October 2022.
He made an immediate impact, scoring a magnificent header from a Morgan Gibbs-White free kick. However, that goal would be the highlight of a disappointing 2022/23 campaign for the forward.
Dennis only managed to score one other goal during the season, with his cheeky finish against Newcastle United his last goal for the club, which came back in March last year – with the forward costing the Reds a staggering £10m per goal.
He made 25 appearances for the Reds in all competitions, before being shipped out on multiple loans this season.
The Nigerian has been on two different loan spells this campaign, where he’s failed to make a real impact on both – with his market value dropping to just £3.8m as per Transfermarkt, a drop of 81% less than two years after he arrived at the City Ground.
He’s been on loan at Turkish side Istanbul Basaksheir, making just eight appearances before being recalled to re-join Watford on loan until the end of the season, with the Nigerian scoring three times in his ten Championship games.
It’s clear that Dennis isn’t the player he was back in 2021/22 when the forward bagged 16 goal contributions in England’s top flight – a tally that saw the Reds fork out a hefty fee for the 26-year-old.
He currently earns £40k-per-week at Forest, with his weekly wage £15k-per-week more than in-form winger Anthony Elanga, who agreed a £25k-p/w deal after joining from Manchester United last summer.
Dennis’ wage sees him earn just over £2m a year at Forest, with the club desperately needing to cut their losses on the Nigerian given his poor form away from the City Ground.