Why Davide Frattesi turned down Nottingham Forest to join Lazio

Davide Frattesi had the opportunity to move to Nottingham Forest before eventually joining Lazio, but the Italian midfielder reportedly had little interest in swapping Serie A for the Premier League.

Forest had been pursuing Frattesi since January, when his situation at Inter Milan became increasingly difficult.

The 26-year-old had fallen down the midfield pecking order during the 2025/26 campaign, opening the door to a departure. Nottingham Forest came close to securing him during the winter window, although there was ultimately not enough time to complete the operation.

Their interest remained heading into the summer, but Frattesi had another destination in mind.

According to Corriere dello Sport, Nottingham Forest were prepared to offer Frattesi a lucrative salary to convince him to move to England.

Money, however, was not enough.

Frattesi reportedly wanted Lazio and prioritised a return to Rome over the opportunity to play in the Premier League.

Inter were willing to negotiate with an English club and had no particular preference regarding his destination. That left the final decision with the player, and Lazio made their move at the right moment.

Frattesi eventually joined the Biancocelesti on an initial €5m loan with a €10m option to buy.

The size of that loan payment suggests Lazio already have a significant commitment to the midfielder and could ultimately make his transfer permanent.

The early evidence suggests Frattesi made a decision that suits his football.

He has already scored three Serie A goals since joining Lazio and has quickly established himself as an important figure in Rino Gattuso’s team.

Corriere dello Sport have even described him as a “new icon” at the club following his impressive start.

His role under Gattuso is particularly important. Frattesi has been given the freedom to make aggressive runs from midfield and attack the penalty area, one of the strongest aspects of his game.

Rather than operating purely as a conventional central midfielder, he can arrive late around the box and exploit spaces created by Lazio’s attacking players.

Forest could have provided Frattesi with Premier League football and were seemingly prepared to make the financial side of the transfer attractive.

The decisive factor was instead the player's preference.

Frattesi wanted Lazio, and their eventual offer gave him the opportunity to remain in Serie A while joining a team where his attacking qualities could be maximised.

Three goals already suggests the move is working well for him.

For Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, it represents a transfer pursuit in which financial power alone was not enough to change the player’s preferred destination.

Frattesi will now look to turn his impressive start into a permanent Lazio career. The structure of the agreement gives Lazio the opportunity to buy him for another €10m after already investing €5m in the loan.

Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, have moved on from the midfielder, but his strong opening weeks in Rome will inevitably leave their previous pursuit looking like an interesting missed opportunity.