Nottingham Forest transfer U-turn leaves expert 'scratching my head’
Nottingham Forest would have got little value out of a big-money move to sign Manchester City midfielder Tijjani Reijnders.
That is according to former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that the Dutchman’s age should have provided concern for Forest.
The 28-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to the City Ground, but is now on the verge of joining Al Qadsiah instead.
However, Wyness believes that Forest would have been taking a purely short-term view by signing him, as he expects Reijnders’ value to dwindle during his next contract.
The Reds had been heavily linked with the former AC Milan star in a £55million deal, but the East Midlands outfit have now missed out.
However, Wyness believes that is actually a positive outcome for Oliver Glasner and Co., as he does not feel that Reijnders truly fitted in line with Forest's transfer strategy.
Nottingham Forest to rethink Tijjani Reijnders pursuit
Everton’s former chief Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that Forest were right to have “second thoughts” about making a move for Reijnders.
He feels that the deal would have been an expensive outlay for the East Midlands outfit, with little chance of them recouping any value later down the line.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, the Scottish businessman explained why Reijnders was a surprising target for Forest in the first place.
"I didn't understand the deal at all, certainly from Forest's point of view,” he said.
"I didn't see a great benefit for Forest because by the time his contract would have finished, he'd have little value left in terms of age. He's 28 now, so if he got a four-year contract at 32, there wasn't going to be a lot of value left in him.
"I'm scratching my head. It's not one that suits the Forest profile. It seems to be dithering between different sorts of buying young and buying experience.
"I'm not surprised Forest had second thoughts. He's a good player, but I just don't think that deal worked financially."
Keith Wyness shares reason for delay to Forest deal
Wyness also told Football Insider that the delay to Forest’s move to sign Sporting centre-back Ousmane Diomande was likely down to a disagreement over agent’s fees.
The Ivorian’s move to the City Ground had been in the pipeline for several weeks, but then appeared on the verge of collapse just days before it ultimately went through.
Wyness believes that the defender’s agent was likely being “overly aggressive” with the fees he was demanding, which prompted Forest to threaten to pull away.
Diomande’s arrival in Nottingham was confirmed earlier this week, with the defender becoming the Reds’ second summer signing.