Feyenoord striker Cyriel Dessers has admitted that he received an offer from Championship giants Nottingham Forest before returning to the Eredivisie, speaking to De Telegraaf.
It was the story of Forest’s summer in many ways.
Croatia U21 international Sandro Kulenovic confirmed back in September that he turned down a move to Nottingham Forest in favour of a loan move to Lokomotiva.
The agent of Spezia frontman M’Bala Nzola, meanwhile, explained that a move to the second-tier of English football did not exactly appeal to a forward who hit 11 Serie A goals in 2020/21.
Yuma Suzuki and Facundo Ferreyra slipped through Forest’s fingers too.
And now, it seems, we can add Cyriel Dessers to that list.
Why did Nottingham Forest miss out on Cyriel Dessers?
“That day was the craziest day of my life. If only there had been cameras. That documentary could have won an Oscar,” says the 26-year-old Nigeria international, reflecting on his dramatic deadline-day switch from Genk to Feyenoord.
“I left for Madrid at 6 in the morning with the idea of signing with Leganes. But at the (airport) gate, we suddenly received a phone call from several clubs.
“Antwerp, Nottingham Forest, Feyenoord. In the end, Stijn (Francis, his agent) and I got on the plane. During the flight you have no idea for two and a half hours which team you are going to play for the next day.
“At that moment, my fate was in the hands of the clubs. After landing, we sat down on a bench in front of the airport. Finally, Genk reached an agreement with Feyenoord and I signed my contract in the lobby of a hotel in Madrid.”
Dessers, who cost Genk £3 million last year, appears to have rediscovered the golden touch that made him the Eredivisie’s top scorer in the 2019/20 season.
Dessers has scored four times in eight league games for Feyenoord, including successive 92nd minute winners against AZ Alkmaar and Rotterdam rivals Sparta.
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