Michael Noonan has officially joined Nottingham Forest

Michael Noonan has officially been announced by Nottingham Forest after it was heavily speculated that the 18 year old would be joining the Premier League side in January.

The youngest goalscorer in the history of the Conference League, Noonan was heavily linked with a move away from Rovers earlier on in the year with both Manchester clubs, Celtic and even Ajax said to be interested in the player.

In the end it would be Hoffenheim who came closest to signing Noonan with a bid of nearly €2 million being accepted by Shamrock Rovers.

It would be rejected on the player’s side and now after his contract expires at the end of the year, Noonan will be leaving on a free transfer.

Rovers will receive a low six figure sum from Fifa due to the development of the player but it will be only a fraction of what they would have received had an actual transfer taken place.

Noonan will join from the 1st of January, it is thought that Forest’s Head of Football Development and former Ireland international Andy Reid has been aware of Noonan for some time.

Chief Football Officer, George Syrianos spoke about the move.

“Michael is a player we, along with a number of other clubs have followed closely for some time so we are delighted that he has chosen Nottingham Forest.

‘Recruiting high potential young players is central to our long term vision for the academy.

‘We want the academy to be a genuine pathway to the first team and that means bringing in the right talent early and giving them a clear individual plan to get there.”

“MIchael’s decision reflects the work Chris, Andy and everyone involved has put into developing and then sharing what that pathway looks like here.

‘We look forward to welcoming Michael and his family to Forest and to supporting his development in the years ahead.”