Nottingham Forest's 2021/22 campaign will be one every Reds fan remembers, as the club ended their 23-year exile from the Premier League after beating Huddersfield Town 1-0 in the play-off final at Wembley.
Steve Cooper led the club back to the top flight after taking over from Chris Hughton after the club were bottom of the Championship after six defeats and one draw in the opening seven league outings.
The former Swansea City boss transformed the club on and off the pitch, with the fans connecting with the players under his leadership, with the playing squad giving the fanbase something to cheer about after multiple years of disarray.
The promotion campaign saw the emergence of multiple fan favourites among the Forest faithful, including the likes of Djed Spence, and James Garner. However, the duo were only on loan at the City Ground and departed after the play-off final.
Nottingham Forest's starting XI if they never achieved promotion in 2022
The club gained promotion to the Premier League in the 2021/22 season.
ByEthan LambFeb 16, 2024
Cooper's side also had several other loanees within the squad, with one player in particular going under the radar with his efforts at the City Ground.
Philip Zinckernagel's stats at Nottingham Forest
The Reds were lacking in attacking areas during the 2020/21 campaign, with the club heavily reliant on striker Lewis Grabban for large parts of the campaign.
In an effort to add more firepower in the final third, the club decided to move for Watford attacker Philip Zinckernagel, with the Danish playmaker joining the Reds on a season-long loan.
He'd previously won promotion with Watford the season prior, with Zinckernagel having the experience needed to help propel Forest into a promotion push with the club struggling in England's second tier over the previous couple of campaigns.
No one could've predicted the impact the attacking midfielder would have at the City Ground, but the attacker came in with a point to prove and excelled under Cooper's guidance.
The Dane managed to achieve 13 goal contributions in his 42 Championship outings for the club, a tally only bettered by Grabban and Academy graduate Brennan Johnson.
1. Brennan Johnson
26
2. Lewis Grabban
16
3. Philip Zinckernagel
13
4. James Garner
12
5. Sam Surridge
11
Zinckernagel played a pivotal role in the Reds' promotion season. However, it wasn't enough for the Dane to secure a permanent move to the City Ground.
Philip Zinckernagel's stats since leaving Nottingham Forest
After departing the Reds in June 2022, the attacker joined Greek side Olympiacos for £2m – a side also owned by Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis.
The move was unsuccessful, with the former Reds loan only featuring eight times, before moving to Standard Liege on loan in Belgium. He enjoyed a positive spell with Liege, before completing a permanent move to rivals Club Brugge during the summer of 2023 – with Zinckernagel receiving a lease of life.
In his 23 league games this season, the Dane has contributed with six goals and seven assists, with Brugge looking to win their first Pro League title since 2022.
After finding himself a new home in Brugge, Zinckernagel is tearing it up once again as he has done previously in his career – with Forest potentially missing a trick in not signing him permanently back in 2022.
