Palmeiras playmaker Gustavo Scarpa turned down the chance to back out of his pre-contract agreement with Nottingham Forest as he did not want to ‘dishonour’ the Premier League outfit, according to UOL.
As things stand, this is a transfer still shrouded in mystery.
After signing a lorry-load of new players over the summer – Serge Aurier became signing number 22 this week – do Nottingham Forest already have their first addition of 2023 tied up? Will Scarpa, one of the most talented creative midfielders in South America, arrive in January to help Forest in their battle against the drop?
Or will he move immediately on loan to Olympiakos, a la Josh Bowler and Hwang Ui Jo.
There are certainly more questions than answers.
Will Gustavo Scarpa really play for Nottingham Forest next year?
According to UOL, Copa Libertadores holders Palmeiras tried to convince Scarpa to sign a new deal at the Allianz Parque after he had agreed to join Forest in 2023, his current contract expiring at the end of this year.
Palmeiras would pay a £4 million compensation fee to terminate his agreement with the two-time European champions. Scarpa, however, had no interest in ‘dishonouring’ Nottingham Forest, even if a move to England would potentially see the 28-year-old perform a back-seat role behind the likes of Brennan Johnson, Jesse Lingard and Morgan Gibbs-White – providing Cooper has a use for him at all.
Some in Greece appear convinced that Scarpa will be an Olympiakos player in 2023; the Greek giants once again benefitting from Evangelos Marinakis’ City Ground connections. The player himself, however, indicated recently that he would soon be achieving his ‘dream’ of playing Premier League football.
“Anyone who knows me knows that my dream has always been to play in Europe,” Scarpa explains to Globo Esporte.
“My biggest dream is to play in England. I admit, I started to find it improbable as the years went by. But when I was given the opportunity, at the age of 28, it was surreal. My last chance to play in the Premier League.”
In all competitions this season, the unpredictable, mercurial Scarpa has scored ten goals and set up nine more. He provided a staggering 20 assists across the 2021 Brazilian season too.
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