After Adlene Guedioura left Nottingham Forest for Al Gharafa, the Reds’ statement of his departure contained just 22 words and didn’t include any thanks for his service or well-wishes for the future. Supporters certainly noticed the frosty parting message and discussed the situation on social media, but why are Forest so salty?
Guedioura had a fallout with Martin O’Neill at the end of last season after refusing to do a warm-down session with fitness staff following Forest’s 1-1 draw with Ipswich Town (March 16). He racked up just 25 minutes of football in the final two months of the campaign and wouldn’t play for the Reds again.
Despite being a useful player for Aitor Karanka and O’Neill, he was out of favour under Sabri Lamouchi which may have been due to the past fallout. Forest were busy in the transfer market over the summer, signing Samba Sow, Alfa Semedo and Tiago Silva, so their midfield was adequately strengthened. Guedioura fell down the pecking order and was no longer needed.
For a player that made 100 appearances for Forest over three seperate stints (January 30, 2012 – May 31, 2012) (July 23, 2012 – September 2, 2013) (January 31, 2018 – August 14, 2019), the manner of his departure is disappointing. Guedioura had been requesting a move for Forest all summer, so it was clear that he wanted out regardless of who was in charge.
