Notthingham Forrest strike a deal with a ‘special’ winger who flourished last season after west ham failed to get deal over
Notthingham Forrest strike a deal with a ‘special’ winger who flourished last season after west ham failed to get deal over
Apparently Nottingham Forest have beaten West Ham United to the signing of Gustavo Sá. That’s an unexpected end to one confusing transfer story.
Earlier this month, everything pointed towards the Portugal Under-21 international joining West Ham. A €20m (£17.3m) deal was widely reported in Portugal. The midfielder was expected to travel for a medical, and a five-year contract was said to be waiting for him in London.
None of that happened.
Instead, O Jogo now reports Gustavo Sá is on his way to Nottingham Forest. There is an agreement in place for the midfielder to leave Famalicão in another deal worth €20m (£17.3m).
The report adds there is already a plan for what comes next. Gustavo Sá could potentially be loaned to Olympiacos after completing the transfer.
Forest step in after West Ham impasse
The development helps explain why Portuguese reporting around the transfer changed so noticeably over the past couple of weeks.
After initially presenting the move to West Ham as virtually complete, newspapers gradually became much more cautious.
The expected medical never happened, Gustavo Sá remained with Famalicão. Club president Miguel Ribeiro stopped short of confirming any agreement when asked about the midfielder’s future.
New manager Carlos Carvalhal also continued working with the 21-year-old. However, he admitted he would be surprised if players of Gustavo Sá’s quality were still at the club once the transfer window closed.
There was even more uncertainty when Gustavo Sá was left out of two pre-season friendlies. Portuguese reports could not agree whether he was simply being protected because of the transfer market or whether there was another explanation.
Throughout that period, there was never any suggestion the move had collapsed. It simply stopped moving forward. Forest appear to have taken advantage of that uncertainty.
Olympiacos loan part of the plan
The most interesting detail in O Jogo’s report is what could happen after the transfer is completed. Rather than heading straight into Oliver Glasner’s squad, Gustavo Sá could be sent on loan to Olympiacos.
That would give Forest the chance to secure one of Portugal’s brightest young midfielders. He would then continue playing regular first-team football before returning to the City Ground.
The proposed fee also matches the figure that had long been associated with West Ham’s pursuit. This suggests Famalicão ultimately received the valuation they had been expecting all along.
This saga seemed destined to end at West Ham only a few weeks ago. Instead, after the Hammers failed to get the deal over the line, Nottingham Forest have stepped in and appear ready to get it done.
