Nottingham Forest are still on the lookout for wide players to complement Nuno Espírito Santo’s squad, but one speedster has just revealed he actually rejected a move to Trentside.
After Anthony Elanga signed for Newcastle United, wingers became a priority for Edu and the recruitment team, also emphasised when Palmeiras signed Ramon Sosa.
To replace Elanga, Forest signed Dan Ndoye who has already been impressing in pre-season, but there remains space for options off the bench to support the Swiss star and Callum Hudson-Odoi.
However, one star who looked to be a top target at the City Ground moved elsewhere earlier in the summer and has now revealed that he personally turned down a move to Forest.
Samuel Mbangula on the bench for Juventus against Udinese
Photo by Loris Roselli/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Samuel Mbangula rejected a move to Nottingham Forest
Back in June, Nottingham Forest Newsrevealed that Forest were in talks to sign Samuel Mbangula from Juventus, who looked to be a direct replacement for the likes of Sosa, but potentially with more promise.
The deal never progressed, though, and talks between Forest and Mbangula broke down, leading to the Belgian making the switch to Werder Bremen instead.
Now, speaking to Gazzetta Dello Sport, Mbangula has lifted the lid on his rumoured move to the City Ground.
🚨🟢 Samuel Mbangula leaves Juventus to join Werder Bremen on permanent deal worth €10m plus add-ons.
Agreement in place, as BILD reported today. pic.twitter.com/HkKmoEjesY
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 20, 2025
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He said: “Nottingham had an agreement with Juventus during the World Cup, not with me. In the end, everything fell through, and I’m happy to be in Germany, a league that has brought so many young players to the fore.”
Clearly, then, Forest weren’t truly close to signing the Belgian as he seemingly made no move to engage with negotiations over a move to the Premier League. At this stage, though, the Reds remain in the hunt for someone with Mbangula’s strengths.
Nottingham Forest still need a Samuel Mbangula-type winger
He still has a rawness to his game, but Mbangula’s pace and ability to create are exactly what Espírito Santo has been looking for when searching for squad players.
Espírito Santo wants more exciting options on the bench, which is exactly what Mbangula would offer, in a similar way to Fulham’s Adama Traoré, who has also been linked with Forest.
❌🌳 Deal off between Nottingham Forest and Juventus for Tim Weah and now also Samuel Mbangula.
Nottingham Forest leave the negotiations as they’re not convinced by current conditions of the deal. #NFFC pic.twitter.com/U5C5J2jHhk
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 28, 2025
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However, Forest’s move for Traoré is looking unlikely so Nuno will be back to square one in his hunt for impact from the bench, as well as options to feature more prominently in European weeks.
Forest fans were worried when the Mbangula deal broke down back in June and with just a few weeks left of the window, the Reds are still on the hunt for the very same profile.