Matz Sels was once a Newcastle United flop, yet now he is a Premier League regular for Nottingham Forest.
The Belgian goalkeeper is enjoying a solid season at the City Ground, even if he was unable to stop an excellent Newcastle United team on Sunday. He was powerless as Newcastle beat Nottingham Forest 3-1, putting an end to their impressive run of results.
But Forest are still flying, while Sels is nothing like the player he was at St James’ Park back in 2016.
He joined the Magpies that summer from Gent, with Rafa Benitez bringing Sels in to be Newcastle’s number one stopper in the Championship. However, that did not remain the case for long.
Sels endured a difficult start to life on Tyneside, with some high profile errors resulting in him losing his place in the starting XI. He never won it back, and was loaned out to Anderlecht in 2017 before leaving Newcastle permanently for Strasbourg a year later.
Matz Sels reflects on his Newcastle United career
Now the 32-year-old has looked back on his Newcastle United career during an interview with Belgian outlet De Morgen, and reflected on what went wrong for him at St James’ Park.
“Why it’s working out now and not eight years ago at Newcastle? That was my first time abroad then and the start was just very difficult, leaving me behind,” he said.
“That was one of my biggest mistakes. I was never able to turn that negative perception around then.
“Ultimately, I don’t look back on that period with resentment, because it’s part of the job. Every football player has a period when things slow down. Something like that makes you stronger. The most important thing is how you deal with such moments. I then chose to get playing opportunities elsewhere [at Anderlecht].”
Sels was never going to win his place back at Newcastle
When Sels first arrived, Benitez immediately made him the first choice goalkeeper. The plan would have been for him to retain that role throughout the 2016/17 campaign and beyond.
However, that is not how things panned out. Some poor performances resulted in him being replaced by Karl Darlow, who was outstanding that season in the Championship.
And with promotion absolutely essential for Newcastle United, there was no way that Benitez was going to take a risk by reinstating a player who had struggled so much at the start of the season.
As Sels says, he was never able to turn things around, and left the club with just 14 appearances in all competitions.
Expert explains how Sels is doing at Nottingham Forest
When Sels left Newcastle, no Toon fan would ever have expected him to return to England, let alone play in the Premier League.
But that is exactly what is happening now, with Sels joining Forest on February 1st 2024. Since his arrival, he has played every Premier League minute possible for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side.
The Belgium international played a key role in Forest’s survival last season, and Nottingham Forest News writer Lee Clarke has admitted to Geordie Boot Boys that Sels has improved even further during the current campaign.
“Last season he was very much an upgrade on Matt Turner and Odysseas Vlachodimos and helped us survive,” he said.
“It was doubted whether or not he would be the number one this season, especially when we signed Carlos Miguel. However, he has kicked on a little bit this season and has proved his worth. His numbers are up – number of saves and expected saves – and largely he looks to be trusted by Nuno.
“Personally, I think this will be his last season with us though and a younger stopper will be targeted next summer.”
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