'Pizza Crouch' can thrive in an air raid if Forest deliver right service

IT didn’t take long for Lorenzo Lucca to acquire an affectionate nickname among Nottingham Forest fans.

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The Italian striker is yet to play for the Reds - albeit that could change against Leeds United at Elland Road tonight (8pm). But his height has already led to a few “Pizza Crouch” quips.

Like former England international Peter Crouch, Lucca stands at 6ft 7in tall. If he can go on to make a similar impact in the Premier League, there will surely be no complaints from Forest - after all, Crouch finished his career with more than 100 topflight goals to his name.

Lucca is initially on loan at the City Ground from Napoli but his deal does include an option for his move to become a permanent one. The cost would reportedly be in the region of £35m.

The 25-year-old is said to have looked sharp and impressed in training since putting pen to paper last month. He had a watching brief from the bench for last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace but it would be no surprise if he gets some minutes tonight.

Lucca should slot in well for the Reds. Putting a succession of crosses into the box has been a hallmark of the team’s style of play under head coach Sean Dyche, and the January signing has been brought in to get on the end of them.

"As a player, I would describe him as a dominant centre-forward in aerial play, good at holding up the ball with his back to goal, acting as a target man for his teammates, creating space and finishing with his head or with powerful shots,’ Ales sandro Sepe, editor in chief of Italian publication Area Napoli, told the Nottingham Post.

“His weaknesses are, he’s not particularly quick and sometimes he struggles to hold the ball under pressure or in tight spaces.

“He can commit fouls or lose discipline at times. At Napoli he struggled to integrate.