Palmeiras president Leila Pereira admits she told Gutsavo Scarpa not to join Nottingham Forest before his January switch to the Premier League outfit.
At the age of 29, perhaps Scarpa felt that such an opportunity would not come around again.
Perhaps he was blinded by the allure of the Premier League. Scarpa certainly made no secret of the fact that a move to English football – even at a club fighting for their place in the top-flight – was something of a ‘dream’.
Now, it would be a bit much to suggest that Scarpa’s dream is turning into a nightmare. But, thanks to a niggling calf injury, the experienced playmaker has played just 19 minutes of Premier League football since early February, powerless to prevent Steve Cooper’s side from sliding down the table.
Pereira, the president of Brazilian giants Palmeiras, warned Scarpa against leaving the 2021 Copa Libertadores winners for a City Ground outfit staring down the barrel of an immediate return to the Championship.
With Forest now on a winless run of 11 games, Pereira may feel that her stance has been justified.
Gustavo Scarpa finding life tough at Nottingham Forest
“I’m not there to give advice to players, I wouldn’t do that. But I would say; ‘Scarpa, please don’t do this’,” Pereira tells Globo Esporte.
“What I told Scarpa before he went there was for him not to go. I did everything for him to stay, but he didn’t want to. It was a dream, and we understand.
“He was in a very good place at Palmeiras. He is a golden boy. I already told him that Palmeiras has its doors open (for him).”
Scarpa was named the Brazilian top-flight’s best player for 2022. He joined Nottingham Forest alongside former Verde team-mate Danilo; accumulating no fewer than eight trophies during five seasons at the Allianz Parque.
Despite a lively start to life in his new home, Forest boss Steve Cooper insisted – before Scarpa’s injury issues began – that it would take some time for the January addition to get up to speed with English football.
“Scarpa has good experience and has played a lot of games in his career,” Cooper explained. “But there’s still a transition into English football.
“Nothing needs to be looked into it or read into it. We’re just in a position now where we have options and we’re just trying to make the best decisions. There’s always players who fall on the wrong side of that.
“Every manager in every league will be making those kinds of decisions. We’re no different.”
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