Nottingham Forest wanted to sign Konstantinos Mavropanos from VfB Stuttgart in January according to Kicker. It’s claimed that the club didn’t want to further enhance their chances of relegation; with an exit from the Bundesliga on the cards.
You’d be hard-pushed at the moment to find a player who hasn’t been linked with Forest at some point in the last 12 months. The club were keen to sign Mavropanos who left Arsenal permanently in the summer of 2022.
During his time in North London, he made just eight appearances for the senior ranks. Mikel Arteta never appeared overly impressed with him and he was allowed to make a permanent move to Stuttgart after impressing on loan.
It’s perhaps surprising that Mavropanos never got a chance at Arsenal. After his first performance against Manchester United in the Premier League, he received praise from Ian Wright, Thierry Henry and Arsene Wenger. Wright actually labelled him as ‘fearless’ for his display.
Forest were keen to sign a new central defender during the January transfer window. Several players were linked with a move to the City Ground. With hours of the window remaining, the Reds picked up Felipe from Atletico Madrid.
Forest wanted Mavropanos but they could get him even cheaper in the summer
The money in the Bundesliga isn’t as lucrative as it is in England. As a result, if teams get relegated they typically have to cut their cloth accordingly and if Stuttgart do go down, Mavropanos might become available for transfer.
Forest will need to stay in the Premier League first. The man sold by Arsenal has proved his worth as a top-level defender in Germany and at 25-years-old, he has bags of time on his side.
Mavropanos is also a Greece international. With the national team, he’s won 15 caps and he’s very much considered as the future of Greek football as they bid to qualify for the European Championships in 2024.
The talented defender would have a familiar face in the dressing room if he were to sign for Forest. He made 40 appearances last season playing in the same team as Forest midfielder Orel Mangala. With that in mind he’d be sure to give him a warm welcome.