Next Nott’m Forest striker named, with Cooper to brutally ditch struggling forward
Nottingham Forest are ready to axe Divock Origi and have set their sights on Bundesliga star Marvin Ducksch as his replacement, according to a report.
Origi raised eyebrows when he returned to the Premier League by signing for Forest on loan in the summer transfer window. The centre-forward had spent eight years on Liverpool’s books between 2014 and 2022, before leaving Anfield upon the expiry of his contract.
Origi spent last season at Italian giants Milan, but after falling down the pecking order there he opted to join Steve Cooper at the City Ground.
Forest fans were hopeful Origi might be able to make a big impact for them after he made a name for himself as a scorer of late, important goals while at Liverpool. However, things have not worked out for the Belgian at Forest.
So far, he has managed just 58 minutes of Premier League football across five substitute appearances. As Origi is not getting regular game time, he is struggling to put in noteworthy performances and is yet to register a single goal or assist.
According to German outlet Bild (via Sport Witness), Forest chiefs have become frustrated with Origi and are resultantly weighing up whether to send him back to Italy this winter.
Such a move would put Forest in the market for another striker who can provide competition and cover for Taiwo Awoniyi. And the man they are ready to pursue is Werder Bremen ace Ducksch.
He is a 29-year-old German who came through the Borussia Dortmund academy. Following spells at the likes of St Pauli, Fortuna Dusseldorf and Hannover 96, Ducksch landed at Bremen in August 2021.
Nottingham Forest target in great form
Since then, he has managed 38 goals in 76 games. And Ducksch is currently enjoying a particularly impressive year in front of goal.
His record stands at 14 strikes from 30 matches over the course of 2023, which is only bettered by new Bayern Munich talisman Harry Kane and exciting Stuttgart forward Serhou Guirassy.
Ducksch’s fine form has alerted Forest to the possibility of a transfer, as they are supposedly ‘really hot’ on the trail for his services.
Forest also know that Bremen need to sell more of their best players in order to balance the books. They have already allowed Niclas Fullkrug to join Dortmund for around €13m (£11.3m) and might be ready to sell Ducksch for a similar price.
The Bundesliga hitman would likely jump at the chance to move to the Premier League. While he has never played outside of his native Germany, a switch to England would allow him to vastly improve his earnings.
He currently takes home a reported €2m (£1.7m) a year at Bremen, which works out at around £33,000 a week. But Forest have more money to play with than Bremen and could take Ducksch’s earnings beyond the £50k per week mark.
