Expert lambasts Jesse Lingard amid damning Nottingham Forest claim
Noel Whelan has claimed Jesse Lingard doesn’t believe Nottingham Forest will survive relegation after he signed a one-year deal at the club.
The former Leeds striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, insisted the 29-year-old was not making a “footballing decision” when he chose to sign for the Midlands club.
Nottingham Forest confirmed the addition of free agent Lingard on Thursday (21 July) after he left Man United earlier this summer.
According to The Guardian (21 July), the England international will earn around £200,000-a-week for the duration of his contract – netting him a total of around £10million in wages.
The report claims West Ham were “optimistic” of securing a return for Lingard – but were only willing to offer the midfielder £150,000-a-week.
Whelan claimed the Irons are “better off without” the midfielder after he turned down European football for a relegation battle.
He told Football Insider‘s Ewan Kingsbury: “It’s not a footballing decision from Lingard.
“This is a money decision. If it’s a footballing decision, then he signs a longer contract.
“I’m sure West Ham didn’t need the aggro of waiting around for him to make a decision.
“They put down a longer contract, I’m sure – but the money wasn’t enough. You should be choosing a club for footballing reasons.
“They’re in Europe, and you’d still be getting a good wage.
“If he truly believed Forest were going to stay up, then he’d have signed a longer deal. West Ham are better off without him if he’s going to follow the money.”
Lingard played just 540 minutes of football during the 2021-22 campaign.
He joins 10 other summer additions at Nottingham Forest – who will play in the Premier League for the first time in 23 years.
In other news, pundit makes emphatic Forest prediction after journalist’s £100m+ reveal.