For Wolves, it is never a particularly great sign when your new signing’s former club is being praised to the hilt for getting him out the door.
Deadline day signing Carlos Forbs, then, arrives back in England with an almighty point to prove.
Can a forward who caught the eye with his thrilling performances for Manchester City’s Under 21 side translate his talents into the senior game? Can Forbs prove, during a season’s loan at Wolves, that he is worthy of the £11 million option-to-buy clause in his contract?
Only time will tell, of course.
But after a largely dreadful spell at Ajax – he was dropped to the youth team in the spring while displaying ‘no quality’ during his time in Amsterdam – the response to Forbs’ departure over in the Netherlands has been one of bemusement.
Bemusement not at Ajax letting him go, but at Wolverhampton Wanderers for taking a chance on one of many disastrous Sven Mislintat-era signings off the Eredivisie giants’ books.
Wolves sign ex-Man City starlet Carlos Forbs from Ajax
“He’s also just one of the very bad, much too expensive Mislintat purchases,” Dutch football pundit and one-time Brighton and Hove Albion defender Hans Kraay Jr tells ESPN of Forbs, who struggled to live up to those early Thierry Henry comparisons.
“Forbs is now going to Wolverhampton. I heard that Ajax will receive a loan fee of 2.5 million euros and the Wolves will pay his salary of 1.5 million (a year).
“If Forbs starts ten games in the first team, the club will have to transfer another 13.5 million euros to Ajax. And he will manage that.
“So, then, it is a good deal.”
Wolves looked at another Eredivisie attacker in Feyenoord’s Calvin Stengs during the summer transfer window, HITC understands. There was also an interest in Porto forward Galeno.
But, despite banking over £50 million via the sale of Pedro Neto to Chelsea, Gary O’Neil’s side were forced to look at cut-price replacements due to the club’s well-publicised financial issues.
An initial loan deal for one-time West Ham target Forbs was certainly more affordable than, say, Galeno.
But after managing only two goals in 22 Eredivisie games – a competition where Premier League flops Vincent Janssen, Afonso Alves and Mateja Kezman scored by the bucketload – most over in the Netherlands feel that Ajax got the better of this arrangement.
Winger under pressure to offset Pedro Neto exit
“That is a great deal,” says reporter Mike Verweij, speaking to De Telegraaf after Wolves snapped up the Portugal Under 21 international from under the noses of French giants Lyon.
“Just wait for the details. Lyon did indeed offer 15 million euros, but that was built up from all kinds of bonuses. Then, they had to become champions (of Ligue 1), so that was not a good deal.
“Ajax wanted more money and then Lyon pulled out.”
Dutch legend Marco van Basten was even more dismissive of Forbs’ qualities. The three-time Ballon D’Or winner believes that Ajax could miss out on that £11 million windfall, feeling that the 20-year-old winger will struggle to even make the 10 starts required for that clause to be triggered.
“Unbelievable, unbelievable, unbelievable. That (purchase clause) will only be triggered if he plays well,” Van Basten tells Rondo.
“But that kid isn’t good enough to play well there. So that’s not going to happen.”
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
