What Nottingham Forest Will Be Getting With Lorenzo Lucca's Arrival

Lorenzo Lucca: The Striker to Save Nottingham Forest?

It's fair to say the 2025/26 season has been a turbulent one for Nottingham Forest. Sean Dyche is in the dugout at the City Ground, the third manager this season after Nuno Espirito Santo and Ange Postecoglou. And the club are hovering just above the relegation zone after qualifying for Europe last time out.

However, after a promising start under Dyche, recent weeks have seen a run of poor form. With one win in the last five in the league, and a third round FA Cup exit to Championship Wrexham.

🚨🌳 Lorenzo Lucca to Nottingham Forest, here we go! Loan deal from Napoli for initial €1m loan fee.

Buy option clause not mandatory worth up to €40m package.

Lucca, set to travel today to England to join #NFFC. pic.twitter.com/O4B6LiXV97

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 22, 2026

With his side struggling both for form and with fitness, partly due to the new demands of European football, owner Evangelos Marinakis and head of global football Edu Gaspar have looked into the transfer market this winter. And have now completed the signing of gargantuan Italian centre forward Lorenzo Lucca on a loan, with an option to buy for €40 million. But is he the player to save Forest's season?

Who is Lorenzo Lucca?

Lorenzo Lucca is an Italian striker, who after bouncing around the youth setups of clubs such as Torino and Brescia, found his break after he left Torino for Palermo, then of Serie D.

Despite an uneventful individual season in Sicily, the club earned promotion to Serie C for the 2020-21 season - this is where Lucca burst into life, scoring fourteen goals for Palermo as they finished 7th in Group C of the division, earning a spot in the playoffs.

His form that season saw Serie B side Pisa make a move to sign the striker, and he signed a five-year deal with the Nerazzurri. Lucca adapted to the step up in divisions instantly at Pisa, firing in six goals in the first seven matches of the season.

Lorenzo Lucca:

- target man
- strong & powerful
- extremely dominant in the air
- killer instinct in the penalty area
- clinical finisher
- above average technique & first touch
- very good coordination & agility for a player of his size

One of the best forwards in Italy. 🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/Jlkq3MbUPa

— Football Talent Scout - Jacek Kulig (@FTalentScout) October 7, 2021

However, after that excellent start, the goals went on to dry up for the forward, as he wouldn't score for the remainder of the season. He finished the campaign with six strikes in 34 matches.

Despite his goalless run, Lucca's early season form for Pisa was enough to earn the attention of Dutch giants Ajax, with the (at the time) Eredivisie champions agreeing to sign the striker on an initial loan with an option to buy. Lucca became the first Italian to play for Ajax, however his impact in Amsterdam was minimal, as he scored just twice in 14 appearances, with Ajax eventually deciding against signing him permanently.

Lorenzo Lucca: 1-0. 😎#jajher pic.twitter.com/Z7NN434E3D

— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) September 5, 2022

However, Lucca would get his chance in Italy's top division, signing with Udinese on another loan with option to buy deal, getting to play in Serie A for the first time in his career.

The striker would be a regular in the Udinese side, and scored eight times that season as the club achieved safety in the top flight, prompting Udinese to buy him on a permanent basis from Pisa.

Lucca's second season in Udine would be his best yet in senior football since his time at Palermo, hitting double figures in the league with twelve goals in 33 matches as Udinese climbed to 12th in the table.

The hulking 6’7 Italian striker Lorenzo Lucca gets his first goal for Udinese with a perfectly weighted chipped shot pic.twitter.com/MRUcjhXuhY

— Matteo Bonetti (@Bonetti) August 12, 2023

That form saw one of Italy's major club's come calling, as that year's champions Napoli agreeing to sign Lucca on a loan with an obligation to buy for €26 million.

Although, things haven't quite gone to plan in Naples, with the striker only scoring once for the club, a strike against former club Pisa in late September, and and has now already departed Napoli for the Premier League after just half a season.

What Will Lucca Bring to Forest?

Lucca has all the makings of Sean Dyche's dream centre-forward. The Italian stands at 201cm tall (6"7) and although he may not be blessed with electric pace or swift agility, he is a strong presence in the air and very physical, being able to out-muscle his defensive markers both with his back to goal and facing his opponents net.

His strength and height alone makes him a tough equation to answer for defenders, being capable at dropping deep to hold the ball and bring his teammates into play, as well as battling in the penalty area as crosses are put into the box.

Every Napoli forward is under pressure with Lukaku out…

So for Lorenzo Lucca to utilise his 12 minutes on the pitch yesterday against Pisa, by scoring what proved to be a crucial 3rd goal, with a finish of this quality, with his only shot?

Great work. pic.twitter.com/c2cbXwLWk1

— Dougie Critchley (@DougieCritchley) September 23, 2025

As well as being strong in the air, Lucca also possesses a powerful strike, and is especially strong at firing his efforts in first time, with the speed and power of his strikes making it tough for goalkeepers to keep his efforts out.

Is it the Right Move for Sean Dyche's Team?

There is no doubt that Nottingham Forest are in need of a striker. Although he has eight goals overall this season, summer signing Igor Jesus has scored just once in the Premier League in 21 appearances, and Chris Wood is potentially out for the remainder of the current season with injury leaving Sean Dyche with little options in attack.

Lucca undoubtedly ticks many of the boxes the English coach likes in a centre-forward. With his height, strength and power being key to how he usually likes to set his teams up. This will allow Forest to play direct both from the back and from flanks, and to be dangerous from crosses both from open play and from set-pieces too, an area of the game which is becoming increasingly key in the Premier League lately.

There is no doubt Lucca will be able to adapt to the physical nature of England's top flight, a problem that is sometimes the case for players arriving from other leagues. And at 25 years-old the striker is entering his prime years as a player.

These goals from Lorenzo Lucca

pic.twitter.com/xN1uYHtO3b

— Football Pundit (@footballpunditX) January 18, 2026

However, there can be concerns to be had about Lucca's goalscoring record, with the Italian only scoring double figures twice in his career, with one of those being in Italy's third division in Serie C. Goals have been at somewhat of a premium for the Garibalidi side, netting the second-lowest in the Premier League with 21, but the onus is on Lucca's presence being one that will allow other creative talents such as Callum Hudson-Odoi and Morgan Gibbs-White to inflict more scoring power off of his back.

The striker can fit well with Forest's direct style, and although €40 million may seem quite a lot for a striker with a mixed goalscoring return, Lucca can for sure be a strong fit for a side in need of more attacking output in the second half of the campaign.

Lorenzo Lucca Joins Forest - Our Scout's Professional Opinion

To shed more clarity on the arrival of Nottingham Forest's latest hopeful star, Football Park enlisted the help of our in-house professional scout who laid out more information on the lengthy Italian;

"Lorenzo Lucca, obviously, is a very tall and very strong striker who's best attributes are found inside the penalty area. At 6'7, he is best with his hold-up play and ability to help his team move forward.

"At his height, he is highly effective in the air and is an excellent focal point for long balls and crosses into the area. This doesn't just apply to headers on goal, either - his lengthy frame makes him a nuisance with loose balls and sweeping up possession amidst goalscoring opportunities."

Welcome to Nottingham Forest, Lorenzo Lucca! ✍️

— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) January 23, 2026

"He best suits sides that heavily utilise wing play and crosses into the area. I would go as far as to say every team could do with at least one striker in their ranks that have his abilities like him, when it comes to his aerial presence and hold-up play.

For such a tall player, he has excellent balance and is comfortable with the ball at his feet, though his speed and long-distance pace leaves much to be desired. However, he has immense strength which has seen him become very useful at shielding the ball when needed.

"He really understands his role as a central striker. He stays around the best positions in the box, and is good at finding space and making himself available for balls into the area, and he is especially solid with his back to goal and bringing other players into goalscoring chances around him."

Red suits you, Lorenzo! 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/qH0JFl5PsG

— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) January 23, 2026

"For a top-level striker, his finishing isn't exactly world-class, but it certainly isn't an absolute weakness. His weak foot needs a lot of work (he is right-footed, for context) but overall, he strikes with pure power and can be a chaotic problem for defences. He best suits direct teams - fast, counter-attacking styles do not particularly suit him well.

"All in all, he is a very solid striker and a very solid signing for Forest. I wouldn't be too surprised if he worked his way up into a top team at some point in his career."