Nottingham Forest declined to sign Dean Henderson this summer due to concerns over his fitness. Last season, the goalkeeper spent 20 games on loan at the City Ground.
According to The Athletic, Henderson was on Forest’s shortlist at the start of the summer. However, the club expressed concerns over his thigh issue.
Henderson hasn’t competed since January. He tore his thigh when taking a goal kick against Leicester, necessitating surgery to heal the muscle.
Forest was unsure of the gravity of the situation. They conducted their homework and weren’t confident that the player would even pass a thorough medical checkup.
Henderson has now signed for Crystal Palace on a permanent deal. He was signed from Manchester United for £15 million plus a number of add-ons, with Forest signing Matt Turner and Odysseas Vlachodimos instead.
Henderson is a decent addition to the Palace ranks. With Sam Johnstone starting the season well, however, it’s not certain that he’s going to be the number one during 2023/24.
The player has been praised in the past. Sander Berge called him ‘insane’ when the pair played together at Sheffield United earlier in his career.
Report explains why Forest didn’t sign Henderson
Although somewhat disappointing, Forest probably made the right call by choosing not to sign Henderson. Losing him through injury again would have hurt the team and they do now have two very useful goalkeepers.
At 26-years-old, the one-time England player would have been a decent investment for the future. Now, however, Forest can look forward to life with Turner and Vlachodimos keeping goal.
Henderson bought into the ethos of what playing for Forest is all about. He kicked every ball from the stands when he was injured and he clearly would have welcomed a return to the City Ground.
Forest had to make a judgment call. They needed goalkeepers to come in and start instantly making claims for a place and as a result, they perhaps made the best decision for business with regard to Henderson.
