Lewis Grabban insists he never wanted to leave Nottingham Forest in the summer amid speculation linking him with a move to Sabri Lamouchi's Al-Duhail.

Grabban thrived under Lamouchi last season, becoming the first Forest player in over 16 years to score 20 goals in a league campaign as the Reds narrowly missed out on a top-six finish.

But four games into this season, Lamouchi was sacked by Forest and was replaced by Chris Hughton, with the Frenchman moving to Qatar and taking charge of Al-Duhail.

Grabban was soon linked with a move to Al-Duhail as Lamouchi looked to reunite with his first-choice striker, and it was reported that the forward was open to leaving the club and moving to the Middle East.

But speaking to Nottinghamshire Live yesterday, Grabban insisted that he never wanted to leave the City Ground and bring his time at Forest to an end.

He said: "No, not at all. I see a lot of people talking. It seems like they know a lot more than I know!

"There’s definitely a lot of people speaking for me at the same time as well.

"I’m at the club and never said I wanted to leave, never said anything publicly. A lot of it is just hot air, to be honest.

“I just do what I need to do.

“I understand the first time around, with the Qatar stuff, but I was injured - so how can you move if you’re injured?

“It is what it is. People can say what they want to say.”

It has been a frustrating campaign for Grabban, with the 33-year-old battling a couple of injury problems and scoring only three goals in 19 league appearances this term.

The Verdict

There was a lot of speculation surrounding Grabban in the summer and it would have been a blow for him to leave in my opinion.

Grabban was excellent last season and became the first player in a long time to score 20 goals, and without his goals, they wouldn't have finished anywhere near the play-offs.

This season obviously hasn't been the best for him, but you don't turn into a bad player overnight and he is still a fantastic striker at this level.