Nottingham Forest player closing in on exit | OneFootball

Xande Silva has agreed a deal to return to Aris Thessonaloniki, where he spent last season on loan from West Ham United, according to Georgios Sideridis.

The 24-year-old has managed just one league start for Nottingham Forest since signing in the summer, and entering the final year of his contract next season he will be looking to secure his future elsewhere.

Silva chipped in with four goals and three assists for Aris last term and his time in English football looks to be drawing to a close.

The Portuguese could link up with Aboubakar Kamara, Konstantinos Mitroglou and Juan Iturbe at the top of the pitch in the Greek Super League.

Compared to warming the bench or not even featuring in the matchday squad at the City Ground, this does appear like a mutually beneficial switch.

Forest have so much depth in attacking areas, that it may not even be necessary for them to source a replacement for Silva with Steve Cooper using him so sparingly this season.

Aris currently sit eighth in the Greek Super League and are very unlikely to start challenging towards the top end of the table, but returning to familiar surroundings where his skillset is more appreciated would be a sensible next chapter at this stage of Silva’s career.

The Verdict

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Silva was a very intriguing addition at the back end of the summer window for the Reds having gained some admirers during his time at West Ham United.

It feels like the wrong club at the right time due to the amount of options Cooper has at the top of the pitch.

Players like Alex Mighten, Lyle Taylor and even Joe Lolley have struggled for regular first team action this season, which has paved a very steep pathway for Silva especially with a new manager coming in early on in the campaign.

At 24, this may not be the end of the road for Silva, there have been some exciting moments in a small sample size at Forest that suggested, with the right management, the Portuguese could be an effective EFL commodity in years to come.