As recently as January, Nicolas Tagliafico missed out on a dream move to La Liga giants Barcelona.
Five months later, as he enters the final year of his contract at Eredivisie champions Ajax, the Argentina international may have to set his sights a little lower this time around, with all due respect to a Nottingham Forest side preparing for life back in the big time after 20 years in purgatory.
“It’s a shame,” Tagliafico told AS when asked about Barcelona’s interest. “I feel that opportunities (like this) cannot be missed. And this was a unique opportunity. Being able to go to a club like Barça, for me it was a dream.”
How Tagliafico feels about the potential of life on the banks of the Trent remains to be seen. The lure of the Premier League cannot be underestimated, however, and while Nottingham Forest might not be a club on the same level as some of the other clubs linked with Tagliaifico in recent windows – Barca, Arsenal and Inter Milan, to name but three – a player who will turn 30 in August is running out of time if he wants to make his mark in one of Europe’s major leagues.
Nottingham Forest will offer him the opportunity to do just that.
Nottingham Forest want Ajax’s Nicolas Tagliafico
According to the Daily Mail, Forest have ‘registered an interest’ in Tagliafico. A diminutive, attack-minded left-back, the former Estudiantes star would fill a void in Steve Cooper’s XI created by the departure of loanee Max Lowe.
The Star believes that parent club Sheffield United want more than £5 million for Lowe. Forest, thus far, have offered just £1.5 million, albeit back in January when they did not have the riches of the Premier League to fall back on. Itis not certain whether they are planning to return to the table.
Tagliafico, at 29, is four years Lowe’s senior. But he’d arrive with a proven track record in the Champions League, not to mention 40 caps for the Argentine national team. And valued at just £3.5 million, Tagliafico has the potential to become one of the finest pound-for-pound signings made by any top-flight club this summer, particularly with an all-action, adventurous approach – plus a bit of South American fire and an eye for goal – ensuring Tagliafico feels every inch like a fans’ favourite in the making.
“Ajax signed him with the intention of getting a player who is a bit more physical, who knows how to run a lot, how to track back a lot. To attack, to tackle and to bring a bit of harshness, a bit of grit,” Dutch reporter Elko Born tells Sky, explaining why Tagliafico may be a Premier League star in the making.
“It worked like a charm. Tagliafico was a great addition to the team.”
Steve Cooper will be hoping he can make a similarly immediate impact in the East Midlands.
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