Nottingham Forest fans will love what Robin van Persie has said about Givairo Read as bid is submitted
Nottingham Forest are pursuing future star Givairo Read after an impressive 2025-26 campaign at Feyenoord.
Oliver Glasner’s side have already reportedly seen a £15million bid rejected for the 20-year-old right-back this week.
The Tricky Trees are looking to add competition for Ola Aina at full-back and see Read as someone capable of doing this.
This will come as little surprise for those who have followed Dutch football in recent years, with former Feyenoord manager Robin van Persie previously hailing the defender.
Read joined the Dutch giants in 2023 and has established himself as a regular first-team star.
The right-back made 20 appearances in all competitions last season, with a hamstring injury limiting his time on the pitch.
Robin van Persie: Givairo Read is fantastic
Van Persie was the manager of Read and Feyenoord between 2025 and 2026, and oversaw the youngster’s rise to become the club’s first-choice right-back.
As a result, the defender has gone from strength to strength, which has resulted in Fabrizio Romano reporting on Forest’s recent £15m bid.
However, the recent rise in interest for Read will not surprise van Persie, who has previously been full of praise for the youngster.
Back in 2025, the former Premier League title winner was quick to highlight the defender’s development, believing that his mentality was helping him to improve.
Van Persie told 1908 on 13 May 2025: “From day one he was fantastic. In attitude and physique, but also technically and tactically. Every day he has the drive to improve. The beauty of Givi is that he is still the same person as he was two years ago.”
How good is Read?
According to Fotmob on 10 July, Read had plenty of eye-catching stats last season.
The right-back was averaging 0.10 goals, a 0.12 xG, 1.53 shots, 0.29 assists, 0.29 big chances created, 1.24 successful dribbles, 4.40 touches in the opposition box and 1.15 interceptions per 90 minutes in the Eredivisie.
Therefore, if Forest can get the deal over the line, they could land themselves with a right-back who is happy to go forward and influence things at the opposite end of the pitch.
Glasner likely sees this as an excellent option to have, especially as Read will likely only improve as time goes on.
However, it remains to be seen if Forest are able to get a deal over the line in the coming weeks after their recent bid for the youngster was rejected.