Nottingham Forest missed out on the signing of highly-rated Nigerian striker Abdoulaye Agbejoye after a proposed move to the Premier League club collapsed over his international appearances, Footy-Africa can exclusively report.
Agbejoye, who has been likened to Manchester City striker Erling Haaland because of his physical attributes and goalscoring potential, eventually joined French side Stade de Reims in September after Forest’s interest failed to materialise.
In an exclusive conversation with Footy-Africa, the owner of Grassrunner Football Academy, Olugbenga Agbejoye, who played a key role in the player’s development, revealed that an agreement had was almost done before Agbejoye’s move to Reims.
According to the academy owner, Forest had shown the strongest interest in the striker and negotiations had progressed well before the English club pulled out because Agbejoye fell short of the international appearance requirement for a UK work permit.
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He was reportedly just one international appearance short of meeting the percentage required by the English football authorities for the move to go through.
Agbejoye represented Nigeria at the WAFU B U20 Championship in Côte d’Ivoire, but his involvement with the national team was not enough to satisfy the requirement.
That ultimately ended Forest’s hopes of signing the youngster despite the advanced talks.
Leverkusen and Schalke also monitored Agbejoye
Forest were not the only European club to take an interest in the Nigerian forward.
The academy owner revealed that German champions Bayer Leverkusen and Bundesliga side Schalke 04 also monitored Agbejoye during the period.
However, a move to Germany was eventually ruled out.
Reims beat Nottingham Forest, Brentford, Club Brugge to sign Abdoulaye Agbejoye
The decision was influenced by concerns over the pressure and demands that could come with moving directly into the German system, with the player’s camp instead believing that Reims would provide a more suitable environment for his development.
“We believe Stade de Reims will give him the right environment to develop without the big pressure and demands,” the Academy owner told Footy-Africa.
The decision has seen Agbejoye begin his European career in France, where he is expected to continue his development and work towards establishing himself at senior level.
For Forest, however, the deal represents a case of what might have been, with the Premier League club coming close to signing one of Nigeria’s promising young attacking talents before the work-permit requirements ultimately prevented the transfer from going through.
