Who is Giovanni Reyna? - Nottingham Forest sign discontent Dortmund star

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Nottingham Forest have completed the signing of Borussia Dortmund forward Gio Reyna on loan for the remainder of the season. It will be a straightforward loan without an option to buy for the Premier League side. Prior to his loan move, Reyna signed a new contract with Dortmund until 2026. There had been plenty of speculations that Reyna could leave Dortmund after he changed agents from Wasserman to Jorge Mendes’ agency Gestifute earlier this month. Quickly, Reyna was linked with a move to eight different clubs, including Premier League sides Wolverhampton Wanderers and Forest. 

Signing Reyna, however, wasn't straightforward for the Nottingham-based club. The Premier League side are currently under Financial Fair Play investigations, which could lead to a point deduction if found guilty. As a result, signing new players is a delicate business for the club, which is why Forest wasn't able to sign Reyna on a permanent deal. Furthermore, the move will suit Reyna’s new agent, Mendes’ who wields significant influence at Forest. Mendes not only represents head coach Nuno Espirito Santo but also assisted Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis in the purchase of Portuguese club Rio Ave. Hence, with the likes of Real Sociedad turning to other potential targets, pushing Reyna towards a move to Forest makes sense. 

Why would Dortmund sell Gio Reyna?

Despite the lack of playing time and the addition of Jadon Sancho this winter, Reyna is still seen as a talented player with huge potential at Borussia Dortmund. After all, Dortmund went above and beyond to protect Reyna after the fallout with US men’s national head coach Gregg Berhalter and the Reyna family following the 2022 World Cup. Club officials went to great lengths to stress that Reyna has always worked hard with the squad and that there have been no issues with discipline. 

Despite all that, there has been some frustration among the Black and Yellows in recent months. While Reyna has certainly struggled for playing time under head coach Edin Terzic, there has been a sense that the likes of Youssoufa Moukoko and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens have had more of an impact when coming off the bench in recent games. While Reyna’s body language has been lacking, Moukoko has performed well in Bundesliga games after the winter break. Dortmund were hoping for a similar reaction from Reyna. 

Market Value

G. Reyna Attacking Midfield

€20.00m

Does that mean Dortmund will sell Reyna at any price when the loan deal is up? Not necessarily and indeed the loan agreement indicates that Reyna might very well still have a future in Dortmund. Although Reyna’s market value has dropped from €42m to €20m over the last two years, Dortmund still believe the 21-year-old is a valuable asset, especially with the 2026 World Cup in North America just around the corner. Furthermore, the COVID pandemic and the lack of attendances have hurt the club’s finances, and Dortmund will want to make a significant transfer profit by selling Reyna. 

Reyna to Nottingham Forest – USMNT star desperate to leave Dortmund

What does Reyna want? One thing is for certain: the Reyna camp led by father Claudio Reyna is unhappy with the amount of playing time the 21-year-old has received this season. Reyna has managed 337 minutes in 12 games across all competitions. The lack of playing time is indeed concerning, as is the fact that head coach Edin Terzic doesn’t seem to trust Reyna to provide attacking impulses from the start. 

Stats

G. Reyna Attacking Midfield

Borussia Dortmund

Career stats–
All competitions

Games

121

Goals

17

Assists

17

On top of that, in the past, the attacking midfielder has had the ability to be an impact sub, but the body language has been lacking whenever Reyna did come on this season. Finally, with Dortmund adding Sancho on loan this January, the writing on the wall might indeed indicate the need for change for all parties involved. Certainly, a move might be precisely what Reyna needs to rekindle his talent. 

A gifted attacking midfielder with solid playmaking ability, Reyna is best when he plays through the middle of the park in combination with a big central striker, as was the case when Erling Haaland was still at the club. What does that look like in numbers? One will have to go back to the 2020/21 season when Reyna was at his back for the Black and Yellows. That season, the attacking midfielder scored four goals and seven assists in 32 Bundesliga games for Dortmund and was one of the best-attacking midfielders in the Bundesliga.