Renan Lodi chose not to pledge his future to Nottingham Forest to chase a dream of Champions League football. Now, after two qualifying games, those aspirations have been extinguished.
The Brazilian was the first-choice left-back in the Reds’ team last season. He was a very popular figure for Forest but he headed back to Atletico Madrid at the end of his loan.
Forest did make several bids to secure his services. However, Lodi chose a move to Marseille to chase his dream of playing in the Champions League.
The Ligue 1 outfit finished third last season and that meant they’d need to enter the qualifiers. In drawing Panathinaikos they had a favourable chance but it wasn’t to be.
After a 1-0 defeat in Greece, the French outfit had it all to do. Last night, however, they did play well and Lodi produced a strong performance during the 2-1 win.
After the scores were tied on aggregate, it meant a penalty shootout. Matteo Guendouzi missed his spot-kick as Marseille were dumped out of the competition 5-3 on penalties.
This represents a huge blow for Lodi who spent last season at Forest. During his time at the City Ground, he was influential and made 32 appearances for the club.
Forest loanee Lodi sees Champions League dream die
This won’t have been in the script for Lodi. After leaving Forest he was keen to get his ambition of playing in the Champions League again but that won’t happen this season.
The Brazilian played well, however. He’s proving a very decent signing for the Ligue 1 outfit and it will be interesting to see what he can achieve this season.
The 25-year-old was wished well by everyone at Forest when he departed. He always gave his all for the Reds and ultimately, he deserved the chance to play at a higher level.
Now, Lodi will have the Europa League to look forward to. He’s already looked like nailing down the left-back spot and the Forest favourite from last season will look to stay in fine form on a personal level.
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