Nottingham Forest have been warned that signing Groningen's Ahmed El Messaoudi might see them make the same mistake that Derby County did with transfer flop Mike te Wierik by Dutch football expert Marc Lambert. 

It's been a slow start to the transfer window by the Reds standards but though they're yet to make their first summer signing, there have been plenty of players linked with a move to the City Ground.

Among those is El Messaoudi, with Belgian outlet GVA reporting that Forest had joined Championship rivals Millwall, LaLiga outfit Granada, Saudi Arabian side Al-Hazem, and Dutch club OH-Leuven in the race for him.

The 25-year-old midfielder certainly impressed in the Eredivisie last term, scoring eight goals and adding two assists as he helped Groningen finish 7th, but Forest have been warned that signing him could see them make the same mistake as their East Midlands rivals did last summer.

Speaking to Nottingham Forest News, Lambert said: "Possibly (he'll be a strong addition). I’m hesitant to commit either way though.

"Mike te Wierik went to Derby County from the same club and was expected to flourish. He proved a complete flop and didn’t get many minutes in the end. Watch this space.”

Te Wierik left Groningen to join Derby in July 2020 but proved arguably the biggest transfer flop of Phillip Cocu's tenure – playing just seven times in total before rejoining the Dutch club last January.

The Verdict

Forest have made their fair share of transfer flops, including a number of questionable moves in recent years, and they've been handed a warning here by Lambert.

It seems while there's a lot to like about El Messaoudi he could end up being the Reds' version of te Wierik, which in a summer when money is likely to be tight is the last thing Chris Hughton needs.

Forest appear to be taking their time in the transfer market this summer, which you'd hope will see them avoid any slip-ups or panic buys – though whether the 25-year-old would fall into that category remains to be seen.