Nottingham Forest may have Paris Saint-Germain to blame after the Premier League outfit missed out on the chance to sign Benfica duo Morato and Florentino Luis during the summer transfer window.
Ok, yes, Steve Cooper did get his mitts on one Benfica player before the September deadline. Goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos arrived on the final day of the window.
But while the Portuguese champions were more than happy to cash in on a player who had fallen out of favour under head coach Roger Schmidt, it was a very different situation when it came to Morato and Florentino Luis.
Nottingham Forest wanted three Benfica stars
According to Mais Futebol and Record, Nottingham Forest submitted a £25 million bid for the former. They then offered £30 million for the latter.
As Benfica president Manuel Rui Costa explains, however, the Lisbon giants were under no pressure to cash in on either player after striking a £55 million deal with PSG for star striker Goncalo Ramos.
“We sold Goncalo for 65 million euros, plus 15 in bonuses. It could reach 80 million euros,” Rui Costa tells DH.
“People have to understand that no club in Portugal can maintain their accounts and pay salaries without selling players. In the case of Goncalo, only with a sale could we prevent the departures of (David) Neres, Morato, Florentino and (Petar) Musa.
“The sale of Goncalo Ramos allows us to reach the end of the summer without having to sell more players. And it was this strategy that we used. It means we don’t have to make any more sales.”
Another busy window at the City Ground
Nottingham Forest offset their inability to bring in Morato, a physical and commanding centre-half, by landing Murillo and Andrew Omobamidele on a frantic deadline day.
The ambitious, eye-catching additions of Nicolas Dominguez and Ibrahim Sangare from Bologna and PSV Eindhoven, meanwhile, packs a void that Florentino could otherwise have filled in the midfield.
Nottingham Forest could hand out a host of debuts at home to Burnley on Monday night. Cooper’s side have two wins from their first four games in an impressive start to the new campaign.
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