Nottingham Forest opinion: Forest should snap up Tom Lockyer for free
According to Nottinghamshire Live, Nottingham Forestare interested in signing Bristol Rovers’ out-of-contract centre-back Tom Lockyer in the summer transfer window.
Lockyer made 40 appearances for Bristol Rovers in League One this season and was an ever-present figure at the back for the club, as Graham Coughlan’s side finished 15th in the standings.
Nottinghamshire Liveunderstands that the 24-year-old, whose contract at the Memorial Stadium is set to expire, is keen to test his credentials higher up the footballing pyramid.
The same source claims that the Welsh international has offers on the table from as many as four Championship clubs who are confident that the centre-back is good enough to make the step up to the second division.
The ex-Cardiff City youth product joined Bristol Rovers back in 2011 and has been a part of the club’s journey for the last seven seasons. He started off in League Two, got relegated to the Conference Premier and then helped his club secure back-to-back promotions.
Lockyer has made a total of 284 appearances for Bristol Rovers in all competitions but it looks like his time at the Memorial Stadium is coming to an end.
Lockyer’s consistently impressive performances in League One caught the eye of former Wales boss Chris Coleman, who handed the defender his senior international debut in 2017. Prior to that, Lockyer had represented Wales at the U-21 level as well.
To put things into perspective, Nottingham Forest are not crying out for a centre-back at the moment and there are other areas of the squad which are in need of improvement but they can certainly do with another experienced head in their defensive department.
Forest finished 9th in the Championship this season, 8 points adrift of Derby County for the final playoff spot, but they looked pretty stable at the back for large chunks of the campaign.
They conceded 53 goals in the league this season, which is certainly not bad by any means, given that the likes of West Brom and Aston Villa, who made it to the playoffs, shipped more goals.
Forest finished the season on a high with three back-to-back victories over Middlesbrough, QPR and Bolton but they lost three consecutive games prior to that.
Their defence looked a tad shaky in the defeats against Sheffield United, Sheffield Wednesday and Blackburn Rovers, which might just prompt manager Martin O’Neill to strengthen his defensive ranks ahead of the upcoming season.
Joe Worrall is likely to be available for selection next season after enjoying a fruitful loan spell with Rangers, while Jack Robinson, who was rotated between left-back and centre-back this term, is also expected to be at the City Ground.
However, the futures of loanees Youane Benalouane and Molla Wague remain up in the air and it remains to be seen whether Forest end up striking permanent deals for either of them.
With the likes of Alexander Milosevic and Michael Dawson in their ranks, Forest have adequate cover at centre-back but signing Tom Lockyer on a free transfer shouldn’t do them much harm. Moreover, Dawson is already 35 and he is very much nearing the twilight of his career.
Lockyer has honed his skills as a defensive leader for Bristol Rovers in League One, and with a bagful of Football League experience under his belt, one would expect him to adjust to the Championship pretty easily.
The Welshman is more of an old-school centre-back who likes to use his physical attributes to keep the opposition at bay, while also possessing wonderful aerial ability and above-average game-reading skills.
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Conclusion
Lockyer is a full international for Wales and Forest need to take that into consideration.
All in all, the 24-year-old could prove to be a good long-term investment for the club and he certainly deserves a chance to showcase his skills in the Championship after excelling for such a long time in the lower divisions of English football.
