Former Newcastle United goalkeeper Matz Sels returns to England with Nottingham Forest and leaves Strasbourg as a ‘legend’ of the Ligue 1 outfit.
That is the assessment of Marc Keller, the Racing president who green-lit Matz Sels’ £5 million deadline day move to the City Ground.
After Matt Turner committed yet another error in the 2-1 midweek defeat to Arsenal, Nottingham Forestwasted little time in making a goalkeeper their priority before the deadline on Thursday, turning to the experienced Sels after aborted pursuits of Aaron Ramsdale, Jack Butland, Caoimhin Kelleher and even David de Gea.
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“He was an exemplary leader for us. For me, he is one of the legends of our club,” Keller tells Amazon Prime, Sels winning Ligue 1’s Goalkeeper of the Year award three years after inspiring Strasbourg to Coupe de la Ligue glory.
“He was with us for six years. In the discussions I had with Matz and Loic Desire, our recruitment manager, we felt that Matz wanted a new challenge. (He wanted) in particular, to succeed in the Premier League.
“The club had to behave properly.”
Sels, who’s six Belgium caps have all come since 2021, may feel as if he has unfinished business in England. The 31-year-old made only nine league appearances for Newcastle United during a difficult spell on Tyneside under Rafa Benitez, after all.
Matz Sels leaves a Strasbourg ‘legend’
“He told us that he really wanted to go there to take on one last, very important challenge in his playing career,” Keller adds.
“I was his president for six years. He has always been exemplary. I felt that, at almost 32-years-old, when someone has provided all this service to the club, the club should behave properly and open the door.”
Sels – who could make his debut away to AFC Bournemouth on Sunday – is now expected to replace the error-prone Turner as Forest’s number one, with Odysseas Vlachodomis potentially dropping to third-choice. Nuno Espirito Santo’s relegation-threatened side also completed the eye-catching addition of former Dortmund wonderkid Gio Reyna.
They did, however, miss out on a potential £13 million deal for Ajax forward Chuba Akpom.
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