USMNT’s Gio Reyna to Nottingham Forest isn’t the transfer he needs to revive club career

With the Premier League team, the American may be going back to his origin nation, but is this the correct decision?

American midfielder Gio Reyna, currently signed by Jorge Mendes, may be headed to Nottingham Forest and the Premier League. Reyna is now behind Jadon Sancho in the depth chart at Borussia Dortmund, where he is fighting for playing time. According to The Athletic, the Tricky Trees may be Reyna’s next destination. They are allegedly in talks to add Reyna to their attacking corps on loan until the end of the season, having appointed Nuno Espirito Santo as manager.

While joining fellow American international Matt Turner and maybe earning Reyna more playing time than he now receives at Dortmund are two benefits of this move, the American player also faces some risk. Connected to other La Liga teams, including Real Sociedad, Sevilla, and Atletico Madrid, they now appear to be ploys to generate interest in Reyna as the Forest rumors have gained momentum. However, Forest doesn’t seem like the greatest fit for Reyna, even with the possible increase in playing time. There are further reasons this isn’t the best course of action in addition to the ongoing player turnover—having signed before to the start of the previous season.

What would Reyna’s role be?

When analyzing minutes played for most teams, goalies and defenders typically have the highest minute totals; but, at Forest, Morgan Gibbs-White’s name is always featured on the team sheet. Since he is involved in most of the play, Forest looks to the England international whenever they need a goal. The problem for Reyna is that she performs best in the role of a center, ball-dominant midfielder, which is the one occupied by Gibbs-White. If there is sufficient room for both to function on the same team, it is difficult to project.

Considering that Callum Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Elanga are the team’s first-choice wingers, Reyna wouldn’t be contributing his greatest requirement, which is playing regular minutes. The USMNT needs Reyna to play consistently before Copa America, and it’s unclear how he can do so at Forest. However, there’s a chance he can beat out Hudson-Odoi for a spot on the squad.

Transitioning to England

Having progressed from the academy of New York City FC to Dortmund and the Bundesliga, Reyna has spent his whole playing career in leagues that have relatively open styles that provide greater opportunities for transitional play. Attackers who must always be on the ball may find it difficult to make an impression in the Premier League at times. Reyna only needs to look at his own colleague Jadon Sancho to see that not everyone is cut out for the Premier League. Midfielders close down quicker, center backs must move more quickly to keep up with rapid forwards, and decisions must be made more quickly.

Not every player can be successful in every league because each league has its own unique style. Reyna should be able to explore options outside of the Bundesliga for his next stop, although Jesse Marsch felt that La Liga would be a better fit for him. While Christina Pulisic’s move to Milan is an example of how a player may thrive in a new squad and league, it’s difficult to see Reyna’s move to Forest proceeding as well as Pulisic’s Italian move did.

Reyna is just 21 years old, and his next big move could make or break his career. Although there are currently no signs that Forest will be a permanent home, Reyna will be searching for a new team in the summertime if it isn’t. The opposite of what should happen to a player with all the talent in the world is that prospective destinations will continue to diminish if he is unable to crack the starting lineup once more.