The team released him when he was 17 years old.
In recent decades, Nottingham Forest has built a reputation for nurturing outstanding young players who make an impact at the club before going on to achieve great things in professional football.
Ryan Yates, the Reds’ current vice-captain, progressed through the Nigel Doughty Academy before breaking into the first squad following several successful loan spells in the Football League.
Matty Cash and Michael Dawson are just two examples of players that came through the club’s academy before leaving for a respectable amount, with Cash most notably joining Aston Villa for £16 million.
In 2012, the club transferred Patrick Bamford to Chelsea for £1.5 million, a good price for a teenager who had only appeared once for the Reds’ senior side. However, 12 years later, the club may regret selling him, since the striker has gone on to be successful in the Championship and Premier League, scoring 57 goals in 177 games for Leeds United.
Despite Bamford’s move to Chelsea, the club committed a worse mistake by allowing another youngster to leave for free more than 20 years ago.
Shaun Wright-Phillips’ spell with Nottingham Forest
Shaun Wright-Phillips was on Forest’s books as a kid, but the club released him before he signed for Manchester City at the age of 18.
When speaking at the premiere for Barclays Football’s Black History Month, the winger spoke about his time at Nottingham, saying: “They claimed they were happy and on the way back, they just turned around after saying they were going to give me theThe club had no idea how Wright-Phillips’ career would turn out, but if his father, Ian Wright, was any indication, he would have been a fantastic addition for the club and a big asset for years to come.
On the train down, they turned around and said, ‘Sorry, we have kind of changed our mind, you’re basically too small and not good enough’.”
Wright Phillips’ career after leaving Nottingham Forest
His move to Manchester City proved to be a huge success, as the winger went on to make 274 appearances for the club, scoring 48 goals and assisting 23 others.
Wright-Phillips’ performances in the North West saw him win the club’s Young Player of the Season title four years in a row, earning him a call-up to the England national team at the age of 23.
The tenure in Manchester piqued the interest of another Premier League team Chelsea, who paid £21 million for Wright-Phillips in 2005.
The former Forest prodigy made 125 appearances for the Blues over three seasons, scoring ten goals before returning to the City of Manchester Stadium for £10 million thanks to the club’s financial backing – albeit with a league trophy in tow.
Wright-Phillips only stayed in Manchester for three more years before joining Premier League rivals Queens Park Rangers at the age of 29. His move allowed him to play another 50 or more games in the top flight before heading to the MLS, effectively ending his career in England.
Overall, Wright-Phillips had a fantastic career in England’s top division, with Forest losing a fantastic talent for nothing that would have netted the club a large sum of money.
