EXCLUSIVE: Nottingham Forest set to make U-turn on future of 26yr-old loanee at City Ground with Reds now set to open talks and sign player permanently after impressing under Nuno
Nottingham Forest are now looking to completely change their mind about Gonzalo Montiel and try to land him on a permanent basis.
This is according to The Athletic.
It’s been a somewhat strange campaign for Montiel, who swapped Sevilla, where he won the Europa League, for Forest in the summer.
Now, according to The Athletic, Forest want to sign the defender on a permanent deal, despite him almost playing as many minutes over Christmas as he has done all season!
Steve Cooper – who was sacked by Forest last month – didn’t fancy the World Cup winner at all. He was largely used as a substitute and didn’t always make the matchday squad.
It was reported earlier this season that Montiel could leave Forest in January, with the Sevilla desperate to get a fee for him.
Now, Forest could take care of that, with the Reds holding a £9.4 million option to buy Montiel at any point during his loan spell.
It would have been easy for the Argentina international to look rusty when he was handed a rare start at Newcastle on Boxing Day. Instead, he was absolutely brilliant for the Reds. Who Scored showed that Montiel made four clearances and also won five tackles as Forest won 3-1.
Montiel did enough to keep his place against Manchester United. In that one he claimed an assist for compatriot Nicolas Dominguez as Forest claimed another win.
Forest could find themselves in a situation where they need a right-back in the summer.
Serge Aurier is out of contract and might not get offered another one; whilst Forest star Montiel at 26 looks like a player yet to reach the peak of his powers. Espirito Santo will be delighted with his form during the last two games and Montiel has made a mockery of Cooper’s decision not to pick him.
As a result, Forest adding Montiel to the squad permanently makes perfect sense and in our view, this is a deal that needs sorting out quickly.
