Jamaal Lascelles has been a wanted man over the last three transfer windows, with Nottingham Forest keen. Now, the Newcastle club captain is staying put and won’t be leaving St James’ Park.
The defender recently delivered a masterclass in defending up against one of the best players in world football. He stifled Kylian Mbappe as Newcastle beat PSG 4-1 just last week.
He was likely to remain on the radar of several Premier League clubs, with Forest one of several interested in Lascelles recently. However, there is absolutely no chance of him leaving the Magpies.
Newcastle make decision on Forest-linked Lascelles
According to the Northern Echo, the club captain is very much in the thoughts of Eddie Howe. With Sven Botman injured, Lascelles now has a chance to stake his claim for a place once again.
Newcastle are a club on the up and last season they defied the odds to claim a place in the Champions League. The 29-year-old did, however, make just 11 appearances across the campaign.
Now, he’s a big part of Howe’s plans at Newcastle. He won’t be leaving anytime soon and despite Steve Cooper fancying him at Forest, he won’t return to the City Ground any time soon.
Lascelles now integral to Newcastle
After his performance against PSG, Shay Given called him ‘absolutely brilliant’. He kept Mbappe quiet for 90 minutes and deserved all the plaudits that came his way.
In truth, Forest are probably well-stocked at centre-back now. Murillo looks a great signing and there is also talented youngster Andrew Omobamidele to come into the fold.
At 29, Lascelles is probably in his prime years right now. As a result, he would have been a decent signing for Forest to bolster the experience in their ranks.
Still, this isn’t the end of the world and Forest will move on very quickly from this possible setback.
