It is no secret that Nottingham Forest have invested heavily since their return to the Premier League for the 2022/23 season.
The Reds claimed promotion under Steve Cooper after beating Huddersfield Town 1-0 at Wembley in the play-off final, with the club needing wholesale signings to be competitive in England's top flight.
The club have completed 34 signings since promotion – the most of any side in the top division – but they have been hit-and-miss with those additions, with Forest having a huge turnover of players in recent months.
Despite the turnover of players, the Reds' hefty spending was also prevalent in the Championship, with the club spending £6m on experienced striker Lewis Grabban in the summer of 2018.
However, it was the singing of another player that summer who caught the eye of Forest fans and supporters of other sides in the division.
Joao Carvalho's stats at Nottingham Forest
Owner Evangelo Marinakis splashed nearly £20m on players during the 2018/19 season, with most of it going on exciting youngster Joao Carvalho from Benfica, with the Portuguese attacking midfielder arriving at the City Ground for £13m.
It was a signing that brought great promise among the fanbase, with the hope the talent could help propel Forest to end their near two-decade exile from the Premier League.
However, he failed to make a huge impact during his time at the club, with the youngster unable to live up to his expensive price tag, which broke the club's record, which was previously held by Britt Assombalonga – who joined the Reds for £5.5m back in 2014.
Carvalho would feature 75 times for Forest, scoring eight times and assisting nine – in an unsuccessful three-and-a-half-year stint at the City Ground.
He would drop the pecking order in 2020/21, with the midfielder subsequently linking up with former Reds youngster Arvin Appiah on loan at Almeria, in another unsuccessful season that would see him feature 36 times without scoring a single goal.
Carvalho would fail to make a lasting impression on heroic boss Cooper during the promotion-winning campaign, with the Portuguese talent eventually sold to Marinakis' other club Olympiacos for an undisclosed fee – as Forest cut their losses on him after a disappointing time in the East Midlands.
2018/19
38
4
8
2019/20
23
1
1
2021/22
7
0
0
Joao Carvalho's market value in 2024
Over two years on from his Forest departure, Carvalho is still finding it difficult to produce any impressive performances, with the now 27-year-old only managing 42 appearances in two years – most of which have come from the substitutes bench.
The "colossal flop", as dubbed by Ryan Dilks on the Second Tier Podcast, has seen his market value plummet as a result of his lack of game time, with the midfielder now valued at a lowly £1.2m as per Transfermarkt.
Carvalho's value is currently £3m less than current Forest loanee Divock Origi, with the Belgian only worth £4.2m, as per Transfermarkt, after his unsuccessful season at the City Ground in which he's netted just once.
Despite the Portuguese ace being a fan-favourite during his time in Nottingham, the club did the right thing by offloading him, with the club rapidly progressing past his level after promotion and survival in the Premier League.
Nottingham Forest must regret selling a star who's worth more than Murillo
He left the City Ground after a disappointing campaign for the club.
ByEthan LambMar 31, 2024