James McAtee could be regretting his decision to turn down Eintracht Frankfurt – his move to Nottingham Forest has yet to pay off.
That’s the view of European football reporter Andy Brassell, who commented on how close the 23-year-old was to plying his trade in Germany.
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McAtee’s value was high during the summer transfer window after he scored seven goals in 27 games for Manchester City in all competitions last season.
He then captained England and won the European Under-21 Championship in June. Due to his performance, he was selected for the team of the tournament.
A move to Forest followed in August, which increased to £30m – despite a visit to Frankfurt’s training facilities.
However, so far he has been unable to justify having his price cut to just ten appearances at the City Ground.
Only six of his appearances came in the Premier League, his only start in the top flight being the 1-0 defeat against Sunderland on 27 September.
Since that game – Gameweek 6 of the season – he has been limited to just 22 minutes in the league, split between two substitute appearances.
However, despite his lack of playing time, the Telegraph have reported that the Tricky Trees are unwilling to part ways with the versatile attacking midfielder during the winter transfer window.
I’m not giving up
Brassell believes McAtee may regret his decision to turn down a move to Deutsche Bank Park and instead stay in England.
At Frankfurt, the ex-loan star from Sheffield United would have been guaranteed a regular place in the squad.
And he would have tested himself in the Champions League too – with appearances in glamorous games at Atlético Madrid, Barcelona and Napoli.
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McAtee was one of two notable players to turn down Frankfurt, along with Jobe Bellingham, who opted to move to his Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund.
Although Brassell has hinted that a move to the Eagles down the line cannot be ruled out.
Speaking about Frankfurt’s failed pursuit of the Salford native, Brassell told The Pitch Prospect.com: “Last summer they came close to both Jobe Bellingham and James McAtee.”
“Both came to Eintracht Frankfurt, looked at the premises and met [Markus] Krosche [Frankfurt Sporting Director] and the management and they were super impressed.
“But they were super impressed without actually signing.
“In the end, of course, Jobe decided to follow in his brother’s footsteps and go to Dortmund.
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“And James McAtee went to Nottingham Forest, which I wonder if he regrets a bit now.”
“Maybe if he doesn’t get playing time at Forest in the long term, he could be looking at a loan move to Eintracht Frankfurt, maybe that’s a possibility.”
McAtee, who was an unused substitute in Forest’s 2-1 defeat to his former employers City on Saturday, is hoping to return to action on Tuesday.
Forest welcome Everton to the City Ground as they look to extend their five-point lead over the relegation zone.