Report: 29-year-old called “stupid” by Gary Neville now very close to joining Nottingham Forest

Follow us on Google Discover

According to the Daily Mail, Nottingham Forest are now very close to signing Serge Aurier after he underwent a medical on Wednesday.

What’s the story?

Well, it was said that Nottingham Forest had agreed a one-year deal with Djibril Sidibe, although something may have gone wrong in those negotiations after the Ivory Coast international was invited for a medical instead.

Both players operate at right-back, and with Neco Williams already at the City Ground, we doubt Steve Cooper will be signing the pair of them.

According to the Daily Mail, it looks as if Aurier will become the 17th signing made by Nottingham Forest this summer, and an announcement could even be made today.

The 29-year-old is a free agent after Villarreal decided not to keep him in Spain, having initially handed him a one-year contract following his release from Tottenham in 2021.

Aurier actually got a taste of the Champions League knockout phases with the Yellow Submarine, making five appearances as Villarreal reached the semi-finals, where they were knocked out by Liverpool.

Now, the Ivorian is set to return to the Premier League – we doubt any issues arose from his medical, seeing as he made 24 appearances in all competitions last season.

He did, however, suffer some hip issues, so hopefully that problem has eased.

Nottingham Forest must be patient with Serge Aurier

Despite his vast experience at the highest level, Aurier is still a very accident prone footballer, who often lacks a bit of common sense and understanding of the game.

For example, he was described as “stupid” by Gary Neville after needlessly fouling Luke Shaw in the dying stages of a 3-1 win for Manchester United over Tottenham in April 2021, which allowed the Red Devils to waste more time.

Despite the occasional brain-fart, Aurier does boast fantastic technical skills, and his crossing is superb.

With talented forwards such as Jesse Lingard, Brennan Johnson and Taiwo Awoniyi moving for him inside the box, Aurier could become a decent weapon for Steve Cooper down the right flank.

However, for all his good efforts, Nottingham Forest fans will surely need to be patient with him at times – Tottenham supporters can vouch for that.