David Nugent is on the Road Back With Sven-Goran Eriksson's Leicester City

Filed under: Burnley, Portsmouth, Leicester, Championship, Football

"Rebuilding his career" is not a phrase that you associate with a player with a recently secured FA Cup winner's medal. But David Nugent's move from Portsmouth to Leicester could provide the final lick of paint on a career that the forward seems to have been rebuilding ever since he signed for Portsmouth in 2007.

His move from Preston North End to the Premier League that summer turned sour early, with Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp apparently reluctant to play the man he had paid £6 million to acquire.

Thirty-three goals in 83 starts for Preston in the Championship had earned Nugent an elevation from the England under-21 squad to the full international side - and an international goal, albeit one scored from an inch or two out - but simply did not translate into Premier League success.

Nugent struggled with the pace of the top flight, and his goal touch deserted him completely. He did not score a league goal in his first season, his three strikes all coming in cup matches against teams from outside the Premier League - although the third was the winner away to Ipswich Town in an FA Cup third round tie that set Portsmouth on their improbable run to the final.

Neutrals felt for him. Only 22, he worked phenomenally hard, but often appeared to be labouring through quicksand compared to the fleet-footed and athletic defenders he faced, and the run of the ball appeared to be regularly and resolutely against him

When he finally hit the net in the Premier League in January 2009, it was a deflected effort against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane from an unfamiliar position on the wing.
Soon he could only make the team in a wide midfield role rather than his favoured forward berth, and he was eventually loaned out to Burnley for most of the 2009-10 season.

That, though, was probably a blessing in disguise for the likeable Liverpudlian, who scored six goals and escaped from Portsmouth's demoralising descent into administration - his signing frequently held up as an example of the flagrant overspending that precipitated it.

But after returning to relegated Portsmouth from Turf Moor last season, Nugent found his touch again - after finding his true level again too, some would say - scoring 13 goals in 44 league appearances.

The first - and his first for Portsmouth for 18 months - came in Portsmouth's 6-1 win over Leicester at Fratton Park early last season, and a post-match comment revealed how bad things had become for this once-prolific goalscorer.

"I am delighted for David Nugent," Steve Cotterill, the Portsmouth manager, said. "I had a chat with him before the game and he would be the first to admit that sometimes when he goes through on goal at home he gets the jitters. I am really pleased for him because he is a nice lad and works his socks off."

He also scored the winner in the return game at the Walkers Stadium - which we must now get used to calling the King Power Stadium. When a player performs well against you, the options are to do better next time, or sign him up - which Leicester have now done. Nugent became a free agent at the end of June following four years at Fratton Park, and will hope to continue last season's form under Sven-Goran Eriksson.

"He is a high-calibre footballer and has played in the Premier League and at under-21 and international level for his country," Eriksson said. "David is hard-working and will score goals for us, while creating opportunities for others. We are very pleased to have him on board as we continue to assemble a squad fit to challenge for promotion."

At this level, Nugent's strong and determined running, especially from the flanks, can be a potent weapon. Leicester supporters will surely appreciate his all-out effort, and if the ball runs more kindly for him than it did in his early days at Fratton, he could become a fan favourite.

 

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Source: http://www.fanhouse.co.uk/2011/07/06/david-nugent-leicester-city/

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