Nottingham Forest-linked defender Alexander Djiku has now signed for Fenerbahce on a free transfer. The player had been available for free after walking away from Strasbourg at the end of his contract.
According to Fenerbahce’s official website, the Turkish outfit have now completed the signing of the defender. It means that Forest have missed out and he’s one to scrub off the list.
The 28-year-old had stalled on signing a new deal with Strasbourg and had several offers forthcoming. Interestingly the club he’s now officially left are being led by Forest-linked Patrick Vieira next season.
Djiku went to the World Cup with Ghana. It wasn’t a particularly successful campaign for the African nation as they lost twice and defeated South Korea before being dumped out at the group stages of the competition.
The defender gave a good account of himself, however. He wasn’t considered first choice for Otto Addo’s team but he did start the first game against Portugal.
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Djiku has lots of experience playing in France. As well as playing 127 times for Strasbourg, he’s made 68 appearances for Caen and a further 51 for Bastia.
Fenerbahce might have got themselves a solid defender. He looks to be in the peak of his career and on a free transfer, they will be glad to get this deal over the line.
Forest-linked Djiku has now signed for Fenerbahce
It has to be said that this isn’t the end of the world. Forest already have several players heading off to the African Cup of Nations in January and Djiku would represent another one.
Back in 2021, a 26-year-old Djiku was compared to Virgil van Dijk. His ability to get stuck into tackles and read the game incredibly well makes that a seamless comparison.
Djiku is only 28 and he will surely shine in Turkey. The league isn’t as competitive as Ligue 1 that he’s just departed and he will fancy becoming one of the top players in that division.
There’s a sense that Forest were never really close to doing this deal. However, it’s now a case of back to the drawing board as Steve Cooper tries to bolster his rearguard before the big kick off.