Gary Gardner vs Adlene Guedioura

The departure of Henri Lansbury is fast becoming a reality with rumours constantly circulating around his future with the Reds. Forest have made it clear that they will not allow Lansbury to leave until they have found a replacement. In this article I compare two players Forest are sure to be looking at to fill the gap left by Lansbury in the form of Gary Gardner and Adlene Guedioura.

Gary Gardner is a player who is more than capable at filling the gap left by Lansbury should he leave Forest to join Burnley for the reported £4 million. I don’t think there is one Forest fan who would complain about Gardner returning to the club after becoming a fan favorite during his loan spell in the second half of last season. The 23 year old performed very well for the Reds and scored 4 goals in 18 appearances under managers Stuart Pearce and Dougie Freedman. This included a range of stunning long range efforts against the likes of Reading, Middlesbrough and Watford. Joining Forest on loan was arguably Gardner’s most successful career move having only scored three goals in his career previous to joining the club. However, Gardner has also managed to break into the England Under-21 set up in recent years scoring 2 goals in 5 appearances.

Gary Gardner's stunning strike vs Reading at the Madejski Stadium last season.

This potential deal does have substance with several sources claiming Forest are actively interested in the midfielder. It would be possible for Gardner to join back up with the Reds but it would have to be a loan deal due to financial fair play restrictions. It would also involve Gardner having to accept a wage of £10,000 a week although this was not a stumbling block previously. However, the previous deal was aided by the club winning the Sky Bet Transfer Fund. Judging by some of his comments, Gardner would not hesitate about re-joining the club as it seems he thoroughly enjoyed his time on Trentside and made a connection with the fans. He is currently out injured but once he is fit it would not be a surprise for Forest to make their move.

Adlene Guedioura is also a familiar name for Forest fans from the recent past and is another player more than capable of taking over Lansbury’s role. At the age of 29 Guedioura is a player with a host of experience especially at Championship level. He was also a fans favourite at the City Ground and scored 4 goals in 59 appearances if you include his original loan spell. He has scored more goals than Gardner overall in his career scoring 21 goals to date. There is no doubt Guedioura is a quality player and was a key figure during Watford’s promotion to the Premier League last term with a string of impressive performances.

Adlene Guedioura's first goal during his loan spell at Forest against Leeds United at Elland Road. 








This would be arguably a much more difficult deal for Forest to pull off under financial fair play restrictions. However, he is seen as surplus to requirements at Crystal Palace as they have made additions such as the likes of Yohan Cabaye this summer. It is common knowledge that Palace are looking for a sale rather than a loan but if this doesn’t materialise than a loan deal could possibly come into the equation. Even then it would still be a difficult deal to pull off as I’m sure there would be a host of Championship and maybe even Premier League teams chasing for his signature. However, this is where his previous spell at Forest could work in the clubs favour when he is choosing which club to commit to.

Overall, I believe both players would be capable of stepping into Lansbury’s role if required. It is still unknown whether Lansbury will stay or go but it is said to all be concluded very soon. Gardner and Guedioura are two quality players who Forest fans would be delighted to see return to the club. I believe that at this moment in time Gary Gardner is the more realistic option and arguably a better fit.