Nottingham Forest made a late attempt to sign NEC Nijmegen’s Kodai Sano in the winter market.
Earlier this week, ESPN NL reported the Dutch club rejected the Reds’ €20m bid on deadline day. This clearly didn’t impress the 22-year-old, who shared his disappointment publicly. He has also left the door open for a move in the summer.
On Thursday, the Dutch press explained that at first glance, NEC Nijmegen’s decision to reject Nottingham Forest’s offer was insane. They took the risk with the backing of their investor, Marcel Boekhoorn.
NEC Nijmegen technical director Carlos Aalbers has given a detailed interview to Voetbal international. The focus is on the late approaches for the Japan international.
At the weekend, the midfielder played the full 90 minutes and managed a goal and an assist in his side’s 3-1 win over AZ Alkmaar.
According to VI, Crystal Palace followed him during the match while Nottingham Forest made contact on Sunday. Ajax were also keen and preparing an offer to snatch him from their Eredivisie rivals. Aalbers has now talked about the late attempts to sign Sano.
“Before that [the match], it wasn’t too bad. Of course there was interest, but it didn’t materialise for a long time,” he said.
“In a short period of time, a lot suddenly came our way and that of Kodai. Many people tried to influence him with all those offers. It was hectic, so it was important to stay calm.”
Nottingham Forest returned on Monday with a €20m bid and weren’t successful, despite their repeated attempts.
“And what if it’s for a really big amount of money? That wouldn’t make much difference for us. Kodai came to training on Sunday, and afterward, I spoke with him for an hour. Afterward, I explained the situation to his management and rejected the offers,” Aalbers explained.
“When Forest returned on Monday, I made it clear that our position remains unchanged. That wasn’t meant arrogantly, and it wasn’t easy either. We want to make this a unique season, and we think the chance of achieving that is greater with Kodai than without him. Because of his qualities, but also because of the impact on the team in the event of a transfer. What would it have done to the team if one of the better players had left so late in the window?”
VI say there was a ‘minor media storm’ around Sano towards the end of the window. The director says he has learnt a valuable lesson.
“I let all those stories slide. It doesn’t faze me,” he added.
“I have no influence on what an environment does to achieve goals. But well, when you reach this level in terms of transfers, the game is played differently. That was a lesson for us, considering what came our way.”