Pele has left Nottingham Forest and returned to his parent club AS Monaco. He left a message on Instagram, paying tribute to the Reds and its supporters. The 27-year-old made nine Championship appearances after joining on loan in January and became a regular under Martin O’Neill.
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Pele is one of many midfielders who could leave Forest this summer, with Ben Watson, Adele Guedioura and Liam Bridcutt all having uncertain futures at the City Ground. The Guinea-Bissau international had to be patient to make his initial debut, but he went on to play in nine consecutive games, racking up 537 minutes of Championship football.
He made six clearances, won 10 aerial duels (45%), blocked eight shots/passes, averaged 26 passes-per-game with 79% accuracy, made eight successful dribbles (67%) and averaged a tackle (9) or interception (3) every 45 minutes. Pele’s future at Monaco may be uncertain as he struggled for playing time previously, but whether Forest can bring him back remains to be seen.
O’Neill has Ryan Yates to build the side around next season, but he’ll need others. Forest want to turn Jack Colback’s loan deal permanent this summer and could bring in at least one more face for the engine room should an exodus occur.
Crippy Cooke’s previous article
‘Big thanks … for a decent season’ – defender sends message after leaving Nottingham Forest
