Bendtner’s time at Forest comes to an end with switch to Rosenborg

(Photo: Action Images)

By Adam Ellis

Nicklas Bendtner’s time as a Nottingham Forest player is over after he completed a move to Norwegian club Rosenborg for an undisclosed fee.

The striker spent six months at the City Ground after being signed on a free transfer last September and failed to impress the fans and new head coach Gary Brazil.

The January additions of Zach Clough and Ross McCormack and the emergence of 17-year-old striker Ben Brereton from the club’s reputable academy set-up, saw the Dane’s first-team chances become a rarity.

The former Wolfsburg, Arsenal and Juventus forward failed to start a match for Forest in 2017 and scored 2 goals in a total of 17 appearances during his stay.

Rather than taking account for his own shortcomings the 29-year-old made implicit remarks about why he agreed to the switch to Rosenborg.

“I am not yet expert in Norwegian football, but I know that Rosenborg is the epitome of a stable club that gets the best out of their players,” Bendtner told the reigning Norwegian champions website.

“That kind of stability I have missed since my time at Arsenal, and now we’ll see if I can experience it again.

“I can only promise one thing, I am constantly hungry for football, constantly hungry to score goals.”

Stability has been fraught at the City Ground with the drawn out takeover negotiations between Forest owner Fawaz Al-Hasawi and prospective buyer John Jay Moores ending in collapse in January, leaving the Kuwaiti free to continue in the role he has held for the past five years.

Growing concerns off the pitch have been amplified for Forest’s struggles for consistency on the pitch as, despite the promising abilities showcased by youth products Ben Osborn and Matty Cash to name a couple, the threat of relegation into League One lingers.

Last weekend’s surprise 3-0 victory over Championship high-fliers Brighton extended Forest’s gap to Bristol City in 22nd to six points.