Over the past few months, Nottingham Forest‘s Lorenzo Lucca has attracted criticism for his attitude. There’s a fair chance some of the claims were exaggerated by the Italian press.
Sport Witness have extensively covered the criticism around the striker, who arrived on loan from Napoli.
There were claims that Lucca never struck up a friendship with any of his Napoli teammates. He was constantly alone and never made the effort to gel with anyone.
That was one reason why Napoli moved him. The Italian side inserted an option to buy in the agreement, having signed him on loan from Udinese themselves. But all things point at the fact that Nottingham Forest will not sign the player permanently.
Now, it seems as if things may not be as bad as they were made out to be.
Defence for Lucca
Ex-Napoli player Ivano Trotta spoke to 1 Radio Station about Napoli’s plan for next season. Antonio Conte is expected to leave, sparking a host of changes at the club and their project.
The former midfielder was asked about the Nottingham Forest player and if he should return.
Speaking about question marks about his attitude, he said – via NapoliMagazine: “We already knew Lucca from his time at Udinese. He has a unique character, at least that’s the impression he gives from the outside. At Napoli, perhaps certain traits are amplified.”
Trotta suggested that being a back-up didn’t help Lucca. This only led to increasing doubts about his character.
“Plus, he’s always seemed a bit on the fringes of the project. When you arrive as second-choice and have a coach like Conte, unless something special happens, it’s hard to find space.”
He backed Napoli to give Lucca another chance next season under a new manager.
“These are players who need to play, have confidence, and be consistent. I’d take them back to training camp and evaluate them.”
Loan spell may not help Lucca
Lucca probably deserved more opportunities to prove himself in Naples. He was signed after a promising season in Udine but was never given enough minutes by Conte.
Unfortunately, his time at Nottingham Forest has been the same. Injuries have been a reason. But whenever he has played, the 25-year-old has never convinced.
This will likely go against him in the summer. Napoli will probably think more than twice about giving him another chance, especially since other Italian clubs seem to be interested.
A move away from the Partenopei could only help him. He is a classic target man forward who provides little ability on the ball. This makes him a better fit for a club that is in the lower reaches of the table and plays direct football.
