Sport
controversial former Gers star at last follows his humiliated colleague
Ex-Rangers defender Joe Worrall has signed a deal with Besiktas to finally leave Nottingham Forest after a mysterious training ground bust-up.
The now 27-year-old centre-back will join the Turkish Super Lig giants on loan until the end of the season with the Turks boasting an option to make the deal permanent.
A product of the Nottingham Forest Academy, Worrall spent time on loan at Rangers in the 18/19 season and it was a steep learning curve for the defender.
But despite playing a key role in the club’s return to the Premier League, Joe Worrall has now followed Scott McKenna out the Nottingham Forest exit door after a behind the scenes fall-out at the club.
Joe Worrall moves to Besiktas
Back in December, Besiktas-bound Joe Worrall and his teammate Scott McKenna were banned from training following a bust-up with then manager Steve Cooper.
The circumstances around the bust-up have been kept very low key but the situation has had a long-standing impact on the Nottingham Forest careers of both players.
Scott McKenna – who was strongly linked with a move to Rangers in January – has since secured a short-term switch to Danish giants Copenhagen.
Whilst the Scotland international could well play in a Champions League knockout round tie against Manchester City, with his contract up in the summer we suspect he’s played his final game for Forest.
As for Joe Worrall, the defender is contracted to Nottingham Forest until the summer of 2026 and it remains unclear if he has a future at the club, having captained the side at the start of the season.
Joe Worrall featured briefly for Forest under new manager Nuno Espírito Santo, coming off the bench v Newcastle United, whilst Scott McKenna was also named on the bench under the Portuguese for two matches.
Ex-Rangers defender’s Nottingham Forest future on line
As Joe Worrall heads to Besiktas until the end of the season, it’s clear the centre-back’s future very much remains up in the air for the time being.
We expect Rangers will probably be linked to both the ex-Ibrox defender and Scott McKenna heading into the summer but there is nothing to suggest we’d move for either player.
Joe Worrall played a total of 32 times for Rangers five seasons ago, but has made a staggering 226 appearances for Nottingham Forest in his career.
The defender’s time at Ibrox wasn’t without controversy, with Worrall vocal about the impact of personal abuse following a high profile mistake in a defeat to Kilmarnock in 2019.
As the centre-back moves to Turkey, he might well look at the example of one former Rangers teammate and think twice about a permanent switch to Istanbul.
