Jota Silva will not be joining Sporting after all, despite a dramatic deadline day push that saw an agreement reached with Nottingham Forest in the final minutes of the window.
It was a chaotic evening for the Portuguese club, as Record followed closely the events that ultimately ended in frustration due to administrative timing issues.
22:30 –No deal in sight
With just 90 minutes left before the window closed in Portugal, Sporting and Forest remained far apart. Sporting president Frederico Varandas had stepped in personally, pushing for a loan with either an option or obligation to buy. Forest, on the other hand, were holding out for a permanent transfer worth €17m, plus €3m in bonuses.
23:45 –Agreement reached
In a late twist, the clubs reached a deal. Sporting agreed to pay €4.5m for the loan, with a €15.5m purchase clause. The paperwork was submitted via FIFA’s Transfer Matching System (TMS), and everything appeared on track.
00:57 –Deal collapses
Despite clearing the TMS hurdle, the transfer was not completed in time on the Liga Portugal side. Jota Silva’s name did not appear in the final registration update, and the move officially collapsed.
Record confirmed that the Portuguese league did not receive the necessary documentation before the deadline.
It’s a bitter outcome for Sporting, who had already missed out on Shakhtar Donetsk winger Kevin, as the Brazilian opted to join Fulham instead.
Jota Silva was a top target for manager Rui Borges and had worked with him previously at Vitória Guimarães. At Forest, he was no longer part of Nuno Espírito Santo’s plans and had been left out of recent squads.
Now, with the transfer window shut, the winger faces an uncertain future at a club that spent the summer trying, and ultimately failing to move him on.