Despite a mixed record in Serie A, the Italian striker could be what Nottingham Forest have lacked this season.
For the third time this season, Nottingham Forest have signed a striker. This time, it’s a loan, as Lorenzo Lucca arrives from the Serie A. The 25-year-old spent the first half of the season with SSC Napoli, where he scored two goals from 23 games.
It marks yet another move in the young striker’s career. Lucca was only 17 when he made his professional debut for Vicenza in Serie C, Italy’s third tier. From there, he joined the youth teams of Torino and Brescia before finding his footing in Serie C with Pisa SC. Loan moves to Ajax and Udinese followed, with Lucca eventually joining Udinese permanently before heading to Napoli.
Lucca’s goalscoring record on its own is not spectacular. Last season with Udinese marked the first time the Italy international reached double-digit goals in the top-flight.
Lucca scored 12 goals, finishing behind only six players in Serie A, as Udinese finished comfortably in 13th place. However, he also made headlines for stealing a penalty from teammate Florian Thauvin. Lucca scored, but he was promptly subbed off after only 36 minutes.
Nevertheless, his strong form earned him his debut for struggling Italy in October 2024. He made four further appearances for the Azzurri over the course of the season.
In the summer, Antonio Conte’s Napoli came calling. Lucca initially joined on loan with an option to buy, following a season where Napoli, led by Scott McTominay, returned to the top of Serie A and beat Internazionale to the title by one point. With Victor Osimhen off to Galatasaray permanently, and other forwards, including Giacomo Raspadori and Giovanni Simeone, heading toward the exit, Napoli needed reinforcements.
Romelu Lukaku’s injury ahead of the season strengthened the need for another striker to step up. One has, but it’s not Lucca. Instead, Rasmus Højlund, who joined on loan from Manchester United, has turned his career around in Naples. The Dane has nine goals and three assists in all competitions so far.
Lucca, meanwhile, has found opportunities hard to come by. Four games into the season, he scored his first Napoli goal in a 3-2 win over his former club Pisa. Since then, with Højlund in good form, Lucca has started only two more Serie A games and scored no further goals. He did score in a Coppa Italia match against Cagliari, which Napoli eventually won on penalties.
It doesn’t help Lucca’s case that he has been less than clinical this season. Close-range misses against Sassuolo or F.C. København in the Champions League, which should have been goals, sum up an all-around disappointing stint.
In previous years, the 6’7″ striker would have been the perfect fit in a Conte team. Now, the Italian manager plays with a lone striker, with Højlund typically playing all 90 minutes. With Lukaku coming back from injury, that, combined with a lack of goals, leaves Lucca as the odd man out.
It’s no surprise, then, that Napoli were willing to listen to offers for the striker in January. With Conte’s side having already made his move permanent, Nottingham Forest quickly wrapped up a loan with a reported €40 million buy option, per David Ornstein. It’s the perfect low-risk, high-reward deal for the Premier League side.
It’s no secret that Sean Dyche likes to play more direct than most. With Chris Wood dealing with injuries, and Taiwo Awoniyi struggling, Forest lack the physical option up top that Dyche needs.
Igor Jesus, who is only 5’10”, has been the main source of goals this season. The even shorter Arnaud Kalimuendo was not the ideal fit either, and he was allowed to leave in January. Kalimuendo is now on loan with Eintracht Frankfurt, where he’s off to a great start.
That’s where Lucca comes in. The Italian striker is immediately one of the tallest players in the Premier League, and he knows how to use his height — five of his 12 Serie A goals last season came in the air. Forest, who have the third-most successful open play crosses in the Premier League, with 76, will certainly attempt to play off Lucca’s main strength.
That’s not to say it’s his only strength, but it certainly is his main one. Despite his lanky frame, he’s strong enough to hold defenders off, and he can be a real presence in the box. Lucca gets involved defensively, and he has a strong shot, but he’s not going to be a consistent 15 or 20-goal-a-season striker.
“Lorenzo is a player who adds specific qualities to our team, and we are really pleased he has joined us,” said Nottingham Forest’s Global Head of Football, Edu Gaspar, in a club statement.
That pretty much says it all. Nottingham Forest know what they are good at and what they need. If Lucca can assert himself as a physical presence and take some of the attacking pressure off Forest’s stars, Dyche’s men will be able to turn around what has been a very disappointing season.
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Image via nottinghamforest.co.uk.
