Nottingham Forest should think twice before re-signing former loan star

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Lee Tomlin cast an imposing figure when he was strutting his stuff on the City Ground turf during the second half of the 2017/18 campaign and, with the loan window set to slam shut for EFL clubs, there is a question to be asked as to whether Nottingham Forest would welcome the Cardiff City man back to the club.

The Cardiff City man has not been named in Neil Warnock’s 25-man Premier League squad and if he doesn’t leave before the Friday deadline he will be forced to spend the first half of the season kicking his heels with the u23 squad.

The 29-year-old netted four goals and claimed three assists during his short stint on Trentside but it was his ability to turn nothing into something that really caught the eye of the Forest faithful, with a particularly good strike coming in a game against Barnsley, one that mathematically ensured Championship survival.

This summer has been a frustrating one for Tomlin, however, and whilst he has been trying unsuccessfully to persuade City boss Warnock into throwing him a Premier League lifeline, Forest boss Aitor Karanka has been proactive in signing 13 new players, bolstering his squad ready for a tilt at the top flight with the Reds.

The glut of arrivals at the City Ground perhaps doesn’t bode well for Tomlin in terms of penning terms at Forest for the second time and it remains to be seen whether or not he is still on Karanka’s list of targets, although the Spaniard has previously stated his admiration for the ex-Peterborough United man.

The majority of supporters would probably welcome Tomlin back to the club and on his day his ability is up there with most attackers currently playing in the Championship, with his playmaking abilities a joy to behold when he is fit and in form.

There wouldn’t be too many grumbles from the Forest faithful if Tomlin is announced as a new signing at the club in terms of the talent he has, but there would be lots of sceptics out there asking where exactly he will get game time.

The 29-year-old’s best position is just behind a striker and having spent £13.2 million on Joao Carvalho this summer, it seems highly unlikely that Karanka would consider ousting the Portuguese youngster to accommodate Tomlin.

One other thing that the Reds must consider when assessing whether or not to go and lure Tomlin back to Trentside is the stockpiling of players, with several fringe members still at Forest having been unable to find moves away from the club this summer.

Forest are set to offload Ben Brereton to Blackburn Rovers and although that could open up a slot in the squad, Karanka will be under no illusions that he still has a sizeable squad that he needs to keep happy over the foreseeable future.

With the deadline edging ever closer it wouldn’t come as any real surprise to see Tomlin rock back up at the City Ground, especially if a like-for-like replacement for Brereton cant be signed in time.