The best thing for Nottingham Forest 22-year-old would be a permanent switch to Coventry City: Opinion | OneFootball

Coventry City have been an excellent landing spot for loanees from Premier League in recent years, with Mark Robins demonstrating he has the knowledge to help younger players make a sustained step up to the senior game.

Ben Sheaf and Callum O’Hare have been resounding successes at Coventry after initially joining the club on loan and there is reason to believe that another move of that sort could be in the offing.

Moussa Niakhate, Willy Boly and Felipe have all arrived at Nottingham Forest in the last two transfer windows, which prompted Jonathan Panzo to join Coventry on a season-long loan back in the summer.

Steve Cooper brought Panzo to The City Ground from Dijon last January, having worked with him previously in the England youth ranks, but the 22-year-old’s pathway to the Reds’ first team, especially with them looking likely to stay up in the top-flight this season, looks blocked in the medium to long term.

Panzo’s deal at Forest runs until the summer of 2025, which could make a move to the Sky Blues on a permanent basis difficult financially, but it could be the best decision for the centre back’s development, especially with Robins’ expertise and style of play.

The Reds were very active in the January transfer window after catching the eye in the summer, conducting business with club’s of the calibre of Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid, a continuation of that may see it become progressively harder for Panzo to get noticed.

His pre-existing relationship with Cooper could give him a platform to stake a claim for first team involvement, however, it does not seem like Cooper has a huge say over transfers and therefore his influence could be rendered insignificant when it comes to Panzo’s prospects at the club.

The Sky Blues are very reliant on loan players for defensive options this season and looking to the longer term, Robins and the other decision makers at the club will be keen to reduce that reliance.

Bringing in Panzo on a permanent deal would go some way to addressing that, and it would also show the club’s commitment to rebuilding and continuing to target a top six finish, even with the chance that some key players depart in the summer.

At 22, specialist positions can be more fluid, and Panzo certainly possesses the physical attributes and ball playing ability, to possibly slot in at left back, left wing back or also defensive midfield in the future depending how he develops.

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From Forest’s point of view they may wish to insert a buy-back clause or matching rights considering Panzo’s potential, but a move away from the City Ground looks necessary for the former England U21 international to progress his career in the coming seasons.