‘The interest flattered me’: Frenchman explains why he rejected Nottingham Forest

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Championship giants Nottingham Forest are dreaming of Premier League promotion under Sabri Lamouchi this season.

FC Villafranche coach Alain Pochat has admitted that he turned down the chance to join Sabri Lamouchi’s staff at Nottingham Forest, speaking to Made In Foot.

It is an exciting time to be connected to the two-time European champions.

For the first time in recent memory, Nottingham Forest are dreaming of a return to the Premier League after two decades outside of the top flight.

As it stands, they are fifth in the table with former Rennes and Ivory Coast boss Lamouchi transforming one of the Championship’s perennial underachievers into a well-drilled and efficient side far greater than the sum of their parts.

In another world, Pochat would have come along for the ride but it seems that the timing just wasn’t right for a man who is currently making a name for himself in the third tier of French football.

“These are choices, options, depending on the opportunities. What do we want to do? Is it worth it? Do we want to be assistant or the number one? These are many factors to take into account in order to make a decision,” says Pochat.

“Nottingham Forest’s offer? The timing was problematic. I had contact (with the club) for quite some time, with Sabri Lamouchi. I considered the thing. But it got really late and I had already started my season here at FC Villefranche, I had already done all the recruitment.

“When you have to leave your family behind, it’s complicated. I have always worked with my family, it is a very important element in my career.

“The interest flattered me, it’s rewarding to see that they thought of me, that they wanted to work with me. It was an attractive offer, for an important championship, of a historic club which won two Champions Leagues.”

With Pochat turning heads with his work in the lower leagues across the Channel, don’t be surprised if he fields more enquiries from clubs in England over the next few weeks and months.