Nottingham Forest are closing in on the signing of Sevilla’s Argentinean World Cup winner, Gonzalo Montiel.
Sevilla have accepted an €11m bid from Nottingham Forest for Gonzalo Montiel, 26, who netted the winning penalty in the shootout for Argentina in the 2022 World Cup final against France. Incredibly, he did something similar to seal Europa League glory for Sevilla against AS Roma in May.
The right-back will reportedly travel to England on Monday in order to complete his medical with Forest. Should he pass the medical tests and sign on the dotted lines, Montiel will become Steve Cooper’s fourth summer recruit. Wide players Anthony Elanga and Ola Aina have joined from Manchester United and Torino respectively. USA international Matt Turner has arrived from Arsenal as the club’s new No.1 goalkeeper.
Gonzalo Montiel would be a top addition to Forest’s defensive ranks
Gonzalo Montiel’s potential arrival will have to be viewed as a coup of sorts for Forest. He was part of the Argentina squad that won the 2022 World Cup. The right-back has been with Sevilla for two years after arriving from River Plate. In total, he has made 72 appearances for Sevilla, playing a crucial role in their Europa League triumph last season.
However, considering Steve Cooper has Serge Aurier and Neco Williams as right-back options in his squad, the signing of Montiel appears to be an intriguing one. So, the addition of another player in the role might imply there could be some outgoings. It’s a bit of a head-scratcher for the Tricky Trees to go for Montiel and keep the pair at the club when both are unlikely to play a lot this season.
There is one possibility that Williams is viewed as an option at left wing-back/left-back and Montiel competes with Aurier, who is out of contract next summer. On Friday against Sheffield United, Cooper used Aurier as a right wing-back and Williams deputised for the injured Aina on the left.
Thus, it remains to be seen how Cooper plans to use Montiel in his squad. Nonetheless, signing the Argentina international from Sevilla seems like a brilliant piece of business for Forest.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
