Eyebrows were raised when Arvin Appiah left Nottingham Forest to sign for Almeria in 2019, and now Cristiano Ronaldo is his boss – kind of!
Forest academy gem Appiah has endured a somewhat patchy career to date, heading out on loan to Lugo, Tenerife, Malaga, Rotherham, Nacional and this season with Amiens in France.
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The winger has made just 54 appearances for the Spanish second-tier outfit, scoring twice, and it’s a mystery that he’s not been moved on permanently, having been there for almost seven years.
Almeria might be a club worth sticking around at, however, with news emerging of Cristiano Ronaldo now becoming involved with the football club.
Former Nottingham Forest academy graduate Arvin Appiah
Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Cristiano Ronaldo buys 25% stake in Almeria
Almeria have confirmed on their official website that Ronaldo is now a 25% owner of the football club through his CR7 Sports brand, with SMC, the consortium who have welcomed his investment.
The global strategy is being led by President Mohamed Al Khereiji.
Almeria are currently in third place in the Segunda Division and will hope to enjoy promotion back to La Liga under this new investment.
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It’s been a couple of years since Almeria contested in La Liga, and given the ambition of the owners, promotion in the coming years looks like an achievable target.
Whether former Forest player Appiah gets a chance to be a part of this development remains to be seen.
The fact he’s out on loan again at the moment doesn’t do him any favours, and given that he’s now 25, the club might look to move him on permanently in the summer.
Appiah is a positive nod towards the Forest academy
It’s quite remarkable that Forest managed to get £8 million for the winger back in 2019, with the player making just eight appearances for the Reds.
The tricky performer scored a single goal in a League Cup quarter-final defeat to Burton, but never really looked like a player who would make an impact in the Championship.
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The Forest academy has raked in millions in the way of transfer fees over the years, and Appiah is another impressive nod to that aspect of the football club.
Given that he left Forest for such a sizeable sum, his career has caused great intrigue, given the number of temporary spells he’s had away from the City Ground.
Now, with Ronaldo in situ at Almeria, he must be hoping that he gets a chance to be part of something very special that could take place at the Spanish outfit.
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