Nottingham Forest added goalkeeper Stefan Ortega to their ranks from Manchester City before the transfer window closed
10:44, 04 Feb 2026
Stefan Ortega is introduced to the City Ground crowd after signing for Nottingham Forest
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Stefan Ortega is introduced to the City Ground crowd after signing for Nottingham Forest(Image: Getty)
Goalkeeper Stefan Ortega has admitted the “door was open” for a return to his homeland before he signed for Nottingham Forest.
The German was presented to the City Ground crowd on Sunday, shortly before kick-off of the Reds’ 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace. He will spend the rest of the season Trentside after penning a short-term contract in a deal worth in the region of £500,000 from Manchester City.
Ortega could make his Forest debut sooner than anticipated as first-choice stopper Matz Sels sustained a groin injury against the Eagles. It remains to be seen whether the Belgian will be fit for Friday’s trip to face Leeds United (8pm kick-off), but the newcomer would be ready to step in if required.
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Had the transfer window panned out differently, though, Ortega could have ended up back in Germany. He reportedly spoke to a number of clubs, while Bayer Leverkusen had him on their shortlist before they opted to sign Jonas Omlin on loan from Borussia Mönchengladbach.
"The door was open, and now it's closed. It didn't work out," Ortega told Sky Sports (via German newspaper Kicker). "I would have liked to return to Germany.
"The past few days have been exciting. In the end, I didn't expect anything to come of it anymore.
"Now I'm happy to be at Nottingham Forest until the summer. Of course, I hope to play as many games as possible; that's why I made the move."
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Forest moved to strengthen their goalkeeper ranks when it became clear summer signing John Victor would be out of action for a spell. The Brazilian recently underwent knee surgery after injuring himself in last month’s defeat at Aston Villa.
It left head coach Sean Dyche with Sels and Angus Gunn as his two senior keepers. The latter came off the bench to make his first appearance for the club when he replaced Sels at half-time against Palace.
In an interview with the club after putting pen to paper, Ortega said: “It’s unlucky that John got a long-term injury. That’s why they looked into the market.
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“I’m here to support everyone but to try to challenge everyone as well because I’m still ambitious and want to play as many games as possible. But of course it’s all about the team.”
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