With only a week left before the transfer window closes for 2023, this is usually the time of the player when players in Jonathan Panzo’s situation start to suffer from a nasty case of itchy feet.
The former Chelsea and Monaco defender was one of the first names on the team sheet, after all, as Coventry City reached the Championship play-off final last term, after all. Since returning to parent club Nottingham Forest, however, Panzo has gone from regular starter to persona non grata.
The writing was on the wall on the opening day of the Premier League campaign; Panzo nowhere to be seen as Forest lost 2-1 at Arsenal. He was left out again as Steve Cooper’s side picked up their first win of 2023/24 against Sheffield United on Friday.
And unless something chances between now and September 1st, Panzo could soon find himself counting down the days until the window opens again after Christmas. Either he finds a new home now – and time is not exactly on his side – or spends the next four months gathering dust in the City Ground stands.
Rangers move on from Jonathan Panzo
Unfortunately for Panzo, doors that appeared wide open at the start of the summer may now be tightly closed. Cardiff City coach Erol Bulut was quick to dismiss reports from The Athletic suggesting that Panzo could be on his way to South Wales.
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“No (we won’t sign Panzo),” Bulut said. “Right now, (there is) no interest.”
Rangers, meanwhile, were reportedly closing in on a £2.5 million deal with Nottingham Forest in June (Daily Record). But with Ben Davies looking likely to stay put and with John Souttar establishing himself as Mick Beale’s first-choice, left-sided centre-half Ibrox no longer seems like a viable destination either as things stand.
“I feel good and as fit as I have in a long time,” Souttar told Herald Scotland, recovering well from an injury hit first season at Ibrox and determined to make up for lost time. “I’ve had a good pre-season and I feel sharp.
“It’s a big season for me personally because obviously last year didn’t go the way I wanted it to. But that just makes this season all the more important. It’s definitely a big campaign for me.
“I do feel like a Rangers player now and I think that just comes from playing games. I feel comfortable within the group now, comfortable playing in this team and I’m ready to show people what I can do.”
Impressive again versus PSV on Tuesday night, Souttar is doing exactly that. Panzo, however, is unlikely to find opportunities quite so forthcoming unless something changes in the final week of the window.