Remo Freuler has indicated that he held talks with Jose Mourinho’s Roma before sealing an £8 million move to Premier League outfit Nottingham Forest in the summer transfer window, speaking to Corriere dello Sport.
They used to call Freuler the conductor of Atalanta’s rock opera. And the Swiss international’s superb reading of the game and natural-born leadership skills have certainly earned him plenty of admirers since that off-season switch to the City Ground too.
The Swiss international is one of the first names on Steve Cooper’s team sheet these days; his relentless work ethic and tidy distribution laying down a platform for the likes of Morgan Gibbs-White and co to do what they do best at the other end of the pitch.
Some were surprised when Freuler opted to leave Champions League regulars Atalanta for a Nottingham Forest side likely to spend 2022/23 battling against relegation. But Freuler insists that, after six years in Italy, he needed a fresh start and a new challenge.
Did Remo Freuler choose Nottingham Forest over Jose Mourinho’s Roma?
“It wasn’t an easy decision. I was at home in Bergamo, I felt part of a family. I still have many friends at Atalanta, and off the pitch. But, after seven years, I felt the need to change. I’m not a kid anymore, and I believed the time was right,” Freuler explains.
Capped 52 times by his country, Freuler made over 250 appearances for Atalanta between 2016 and 2022. He could have stayed in Italy too; the former Grasshoppers ace indicating that Roma had shown an interest.
“It’s possible (I could have joined another club). Roma? There are always rumours. And maybe yes, with them there was something,” Freuler adds. “But until you put pen to paper in football there is nothing concrete.”
With the January window now just a month away, Nottingham Forest are in hot pursuit of yet more new signings. Gustavo Scarpa, recently crowned the best player in Brazil, is joining on a free from Palmeiras.
Fortuna Dusseldorf defender Jamil Siewert is another on their radar. Forest are reportedly targeting a number nine as well, with Bari’s Walid Cheddira an option.
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