Renan Lodi’s Nottingham Forest Loan Switch Looks The Smartest Summer Deal

Nottingham Forest’s strategy is clear. In a bid to stay in the Premier League, it’s spending heavily—so much so that it’s hard to keep track of all the names, let alone predict which newcomers will be a success.

One signing, who will only cost the English side €5 million ($5 million) for now, is Brazilian full-back Renan Lodi, who today joins from Atlético Madrid. Success in his first season in English soccer, and Forest will pay the La Liga club six times that amount, according to reports. Although that’s a leap for the buyer, the mechanics of this deal work for both sides.

To bring in such a talented player for such little money is astute, with Forest identifying someone ready for a new challenge. Players like Lodi could be the difference between relegation and survival this season, and if the move doesn’t work out and he returns to Spain, the financial hit won’t be too severe. Lodi’s present contract with Atlético runs until 2026.

If it does work out, Forest will enjoy the financial benefits of another stint in the Premier League and happily pay the money if he proves to be a difference-maker. From Atlético’s perspective, it would make a €5 million ($5 million) profit on the defender after recruiting him from Athletico Paranaense for €25 million ($25 million) three years ago.

Only competitor Chelsea has spent more on players than Forest, which has invested over $150 million this summer. Meanwhile, Barcelona heads the list in La Liga. In moving, Lodi has become the club’s most valuable player, according to the website Transfermarkt, and it’s easy to see how given his role in helping Atlético win the Spanish top flight during his time in Madrid.

Incredibly, the English team has invested in 14 players—including Lodi—since the transfer window opened, with Morgan Gibbs-White, Taiwo Awoniyi, Neco Williams, Emmanuel Dennis and Remo Freuler among the most notable new faces at the City Ground. That’s not even mentioning free signings Jesse Lingard and Cheikhou Kouyaté in midfield and Dean Henderson and Wayne Hennessy in goal. And there could be more before September 1, with another La Liga target—Villarreal’s Serge Aurier—reportedly close to joining.

Lodi—whose goal sent Manchester United packing in the Champions League last campaign—is a senior international for Brazil. Regarding playing style, he likes to support the advanced players, which he has done to good effect in Diego Simeone’s favored formations at Atlético, which places great emphasis on wing-backs contributing considerably at both ends of the pitch.

Having played alongside the likes of Antoine Griezmann and João Félix in the Spanish capital, Lodi will bring an injection of quality to Forest. Yet his departure is no significant drawback for Atlético. The club is reportedly close to securing Sergio Reguilón (Spanish), who has been frustrated by injuries and is no longer a regular starter at Tottenham Hotspur under manager Antonio Conte. Simeone also has Reinildo Mandava available in a similar position, whom he trusts in his current 3-1-4-2 setup. The system is experiencing mixed success at the moment, however.

Nottingham Forest, owned by multi-millionaire Evangelos Marinakis—who also holds Greek perennial champion Olympiakos—is not hesitating in its on-field preparations. Its operation is also heavily supported by Marinakis’ son Miltiadis. He runs a developing e-commerce company from Athens and is taking further sporting responsibilities at the club upon its return to the first division.

Apart from keeping its manager Steve Cooper, the club has shown no regard for continuity. But despite the wholesale changes, recruitment has been carefully considered. It’s a brave modus operandi, but if Forest achieves Premier League survival, Lodi and his fellow arrivals will have been worth it.