Remember ex-Nottingham Forest & Bolton wonderkid Zach Clough? Look where he is now | OneFootball

Zach Clough's failed move to Nottingham Forest from Bolton Wanderers has since been followed by him becoming a star in Australia.

Zach Clough burst onto the scene with Bolton Wanderers and looked as though he would become a real star in the EFL, only for a move to Nottingham Forest to rob him of his development.

In the same transfer window in January 2017 that Clough completed his move to Nottingham Forest, Ademola Lookman joined Everton from Charlton Athletic.

Two players in League One at the time and supporters of Wanderers were left bemused by Lookman going for £7.5 million comparison to the £3.5 million that Clough joined Forest for.

A decade on and Clough has drifted from the memory of many EFL observers, while Lookman has gone on to be a key man for Atletico Madrid after winning the UEFA Europa League with Atalanta as their star - even being put on the Ballon d'Or shortlist. Football's a funny old game.

The breakthrough of Zach Clough at Bolton

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In October 2014, Neil Lennon replaced Dougie Freedman as Bolton boss and the former Celtic manager brought in 13 new signings over the next couple of months to try and strengthen his squad.

Among those were the likes of Eidur Gudjohnsen and Emile Heskey, brought in to provide experience and leadership up-front in a struggling Trotters side.

Despite those additions, there remained room for one of Bolton's brightest starlets for many a year to breakthrough and burst into the first-team - Zach Clough.

Clough made his debut in the third round of the FA Cup that season against Wigan Athletic - and he was on fire, running rings around defenders and eventually winning the Man of the Match as a result of his excellent match-winning goal.

At the age of just 19, Clough forced his way into being a key man alongside Adam Le Fondre in the second half of the season, scoring five goals in eight Championship appearances.

The following season saw the diminutive attacker, with a low centre of gravity and excellent dribbling skills, finish up as the club's top scorer amid their finance-affected collapse and eventual relegation from the second-tier.

The departure of Lennon was followed by the appointment of Phil Parkinson that summer - and Clough again remained at the forefront of the club's plans as they immediately bounced back.

The Denton-born forward was held on to over the summer and, even with Parkinson's more direct and physical approach, he still carved out a key role for Clough.

A tough time of it at Nottingham Forest for Zach Clough

By the mid-way stage of the campaign, Zach Clough had scored nine goals in 23 League One games and was showing himself to perhaps be the most technically gifted player in the division playing below his level.

His final game for Wanderers showcased his abilities as he scored a free-kick in a 2-1 defeat at home to Charlton Athletic. His influence was such that even though Wanderers did eventually win promotion, he remained one of their joint top scorers in the league by the end of the campaign.

On the final day of the January transfer window, cash-strapped Bolton sold Clough to Nottingham Forest with co-owner Dean Holdsworth admitting he wasn't even consulted over the late sale.

Clough started brightly at Forest, or at least had his moments, with four goals in 14 appearances for a chaotic Forest side that would see him managed by two managers in his first few months and then saw the sale of the club to Evangelos Marinakis that summer after narrowly avoiding relegation.

With Marinakis at the helm, Forest went big and were busy as ever in the summer window, bringing in a 18 new signings over the course of the season and players such as Kieran Dowell, Lee Tomlin, Adlene Guedioura, Joe Lolley and Barrie McKay in similar positions to those fulfilled by Clough in an already congested squad.

After a goalless 14 appearances in the first half of the 2017-18 season, Clough returned to Bolton on loan and did score one goal in nine games before they dramatically defeated parent club Forest on the final day of the season with a late Aaron Wilbraham winner to survive.

Clough was now further on the fringes of things at Forest and his final three years at the club saw him move out to Rochdale and then Wigan Athletic without much success ahead of another underwhelming stint in the EFL at Carlisle United.

Zach Clough has become a stalwart in Australia

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After a forgettable few months in Cumbria at Carlisle in League Two, Clough moved 'down under' and joined Australian A League side Adelaide United in February 2022.

Steadily, he would become a key man for the South Australians over the next three and a half seasons, winning their Player of the Year award in the 2023-24 campaign.

After a stint with Selangor in the Malaysian Super League, Clough returned to Australia last season and helped the Newcastle Jets over the line as they won their first ever league title.

Clough looked as though he may one day be a Premier League player as he came through in the chaotic world of Bolton in the mid-2010's.

A wayward few years followed but he has at least established himself as a star elsewhere; albeit Wanderers fans will always wonder 'what if' he had stayed at the club for the rest of the season, albeit their financial problems wouldn't have gone away any time soon.