Gonzalo Montiel has been left out of the Sevilla squad for Monday night’s La Liga match as the World Cup winner closes in on a move to Premier League outfit Nottingham Forest.
Following last week’s UEFA Super Cup defeat to Manchester City, Sevilla coach Jose Luis Mendilibar bemoaned the uncertainty surrounding the future of several of his key players. Aston Villa’s pursuit of Marcos Acuna – president Pepe Castro has already confirmed that ‘conversations’ are underway – certainly didn’t aid Mendilibar’s preparations.
At least, as speculation over Acuna rumbles on, Sevilla appear to have dodged another saga with another World Cup winning Argentine full-back.
Negotiations between Nottingham Forest and the Europa League holders regarding Gonzalo Montiel have, by comparison, been rather straightforward. The Daily Mail report that Forest have already agreed a fee.
Mundo Deportivo, meanwhile, add that Montiel will join Steve Cooper’s side on loan, with a £9.5 million purchase clause in his contract. Montiel, who was the subject of a number of bids from West Ham a couple of windows ago, should undergo a medical at the City Ground imminently, having been left out of Sevilla’s squad for tonight’s trip to Deportivo Alaves.
Nottingham Forest set to sign Sevilla’s Gonzalo Montiel
“I think Montiel would fit in well at West Ham,” then-Argentina team-mate and former West Ham playmaker Manuel Lanzini told Ole during the COVID-enforced football lockdown back in 2020.
“I know they looked at him and couldn’t bring him in. He asked me (about West Ham), and I spoke to him.”
On his way to England at last three years later, Montiel will add extra depth and quality to Steve Cooper’s Nottingham Forest backline. The one-time River Plate youngster finds himself in direct competition with Serge Aurier and Nico Williams for a starting spot on the right-hand side at the City Ground.
Montiel scored the winning penalty for Argentina in December’s World Cup final victory over France. He then repeated the trick a few months later as Sevilla continued their iron-like grip over the Europa League, defeating Jose Mourinho’s Roma in a tense shoot-out.
