Nottingham Forest pulled off a bit of a transfer coup before the transfer deadline by signing goalkeeper Stefan Ortega from Manchester City.
The German stopper has signed a short-term deal until the end of the season, and he will act as a deputy to Matz Sels.
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Ortega could be thrust straight into action, however, with Sels picking up an injury at home to Crystal Palace last weekend and now a fitness doubt to face Leeds.
Forest have a huge game against Leeds tomorrow night, and if Ortega does get the nod, the pressure might be on him somewhat.
Had Ortega got his way, he might not have ended up at Forest at all…
Nottingham Forest boss Sean Dyche
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The club Stefan Ortega wanted to sign for before Forest
According to German newspaper Kicker, Ortega was wanted by Bayer Leverkusen, and the player himself was keen to sign for the Bundesliga club and return home.
Borussia Monchengladbach were also keen, but in the end, both of those teams added goalkeepers, and Ortega found his way to Forest.
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He told Sky Sports: “The door was open, and now it’s closed. It didn’t work out. I would have liked to return to Germany.”
“In the end, the past few days have been exciting. I didn’t expect anything to come of it, but now I’m happy to be at Nottingham Forest until the summer. I hope to play as many games as possible.”
Ortega has a golden chance to grasp Forest gloves
With Sels seemingly set to miss the game at Leeds with a groin injury, Ortega will be thrust straight into the spotlight between the posts.
The German will have an immediate chance to grasp the opportunity with both hands and pile the pressure on Sels to win the gloves back.
What was the one thing Forest needed to do in January but didn’t? Let us know in the comments below!
The window has slammed shut!
Stefan Orega is unveiled as a Nottingham Forest player
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With Forest still in the Europa League, it’s vital that the team has two goalkeepers, and both players should get minutes in the coming weeks.
Ortega has bags of experience, having been at City, and thankfully, from a Forest perspective, nothing came from the links with him going back to Germany.
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