Nottingham Forest signing Joel Ndala has already outshone Ethan Nwaneri with big prediction made

Nottingham Forest confirmed a late deal for Joel Ndala before the transfer window closed on Monday, with the winger’s star performances in the past putting him in good company.

Only breaking with mere minutes left of the window, Forest agreed a deal for Ndala to the surprise of the whole footballing world, let alone Forest fans.

It seemed as though all business was completed after Forest signed Tyler Bindon from Reading but Evangelos Marinakis had one more surprise in store for before the lights turned off at the City Ground.

Ndala will initially link up with the Forest Academy after completing his loan switch to the club, which has the option to be made permanent by Forest should he impress in his time in the youth ranks.

He had made 12 appearances for PSV Eindhoven’s B team who play in the second division of Dutch football this season, though, therefore possessing a level of senior experience should Nuno Espirito Santo require extra bodies in the Forest squad.

It’s the youth ranks he has shone in throughout his young career, however, with one former coach remarking on how he managed to outshine Arsenal wonderkid, Ethan Nwaneri.

Joel Ndala starred over Ethan Nwaneri on the international stage

Ndala has starred for the England youth ranks from under 16 level, with his most recent stint at international level coming in the under-19 team.

However, it was his spell at the Under 17 World Cup in 2023 that caught the eye the most, leading to his former coach at Port Vale, Callum Rollings, ranking him above some top talent in the side.

Speaking to The Guardian after England were surprisingly eliminated from the tournament by Uzbekistan, Rollings said: “Joel was the one bright spark from England’s team at the World Cup who everyone wants to know about now.