Player admits Nottingham Forest return was ‘tempting’ – World Cup chance made his decision for him

Nottingham Forest defender Mohamed Dräger has explained his decision to leave the club this summer, after their promotion to the Premier League.

The 26-year-old swapped Nottingham Forest for a loan move at Swiss side FC Lucerne in the January transfer window, seeking regular game time ahead of the World Cup.

He’s found that so far, making 17 appearances for them last season in the Swiss Super League after failing to make a single appearance for Nottingham Forest in the Championship.

He had the option to return to Forest in the summer window but elected to stay where he was, despite Steve Cooper’s side securing promotion to the Premier League.

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That’s proved to be a smart decision, with the summer splurge at the club likely to have only pushed him further away from the first team.

Instead, he is playing regularly at Lucerne, making eight appearances in all competitions so far and getting 71% of all the available minutes.

That’s exactly what he wants ahead of the World Cup in Qatar, a tournament The Tunisia international admits worked into his thinking.

“Honestly, the World Cup is just around the corner,” he told Blick.

“I’m having a lot of fun at FCL. And I also believe that no obstacles will be put in my way here to prepare me well for the World Cup.

“Of course, the Premier League with Nottingham Forest would have been tempting, but it would have been very difficult.”