Nottingham Forest defender Andrew Omobamidele is going to be a man on the move this summer.
Strasbourg have activated the buy-option for Omobamidele following a very positive spell in Ligue 1 at the back end of last season.
Omobamidele checked in from Forest for a fee of £11 million from Norwich on deadline day during the summer transfer window of 2023.
Weirdly, the Republic of Ireland defender felt very much like a Steve Cooper signing, but he didn’t make his debut for the club until the Forest head coach had departed.
Nuno Espirito Santo used him on 14 occasions in the second half of 2023/24 but last season he was summoned just once in a Carabao Cup game against Newcastle before heading out on loan.
Republic of Ireland Press Conference and Training Session
Photo By Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile via Getty Images
Andrew Omobamidele contract details agreed as Strasbourg move nears completion
It looks as though this deal will go through pretty quickly, with Omobamidele set to accept the terms being proposed in France.
According to L’Equipe, Omobamidele will sign a four-year contract with the UEFA Conference League outfit and make the permanent switch to France.
It was claimed that Strasbourg has some issues with Omobamidele, but it’s the head coach, Liam Rosenior, who has pushed hard to complete the permanent purchase.
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It’s not clear at this stage just how much Forest will recoup for the centre-back, although the hope will be that the club at least breaks even, given PSR criteria need to be met.
Omobamidele made 11 appearances for Strasbourg last season and helped the club finish in a lofty sixth place in the table.
Forest have more work to do with fringe players
The hope will be that Omobamidele’s exit will spark a domino effect on some of the club’s other surplus players.
The likes of Josh Bowler, Matt Turner and Lewis O’Brien won’t be required next season and right now, it’s three players who are costing the club a wage for very little in return.
Omobamidele is a steady defender and should go on and enjoy a very successful career for both club and country.
However, he’s the right defender at the wrong time for Forest, with Nikola Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato and Willy Boly all better options than the Irishman.