Nottingham Forest are set to complete the signing of Portuguese forward Jota Silva – and Garry Birtles has delivered a verdict on the newcomer.
The City Ground is set to welcome a sixth summer addition, with Forest moving quickly to snare Silva from other clubs.
A 24-year-old winger, Silva can also operate upfront and on the wing with Forest once again appearing to showcase a savvy approach to the market.
Naturally, Silva does arrive as an unknown quantity and now people are starting to react with the player’s signing looking imminent.
Garry Birtles reacts as Nottingham Forest set to sign Jota Silva
Well, it will come as a surprise to absolutely nobody that the man who won the European Cup with Forest is sceptical about this deal.
Silva arrives with 22 goal contributions to his name last season but all Birtles can focus on are the negative aspects of this deal.
The Portuguese league is hardly a demanding league – certainly not compared to the Premier League – and as a result, Birtles holds reservations.
He told the Forest Focus podcast: “I’ve just mentioned Joao Carvalho and everyone said he’s going to be this, he’s going to be that and where is he playing now? He was going to be the next big thing.
“The Premier League is brutal, it’s the hardest league in world football to get accustomed to, and there are big names that haven’t been able to do it.
“I’ve said this many times before, the Portuguese league is worse than the French league and maybe a little bit worse than the Dutch league.
“At 24, you think he might have come of age a little bit but I don’t think we need wingers. Hudson-Odoi did well out wide last season, the thing we need more than most is a striker.
“He might be a world-beater but I’m a bit dubious because the Premier League is so tough, the fitness levels have to be extremely tough and if you’ve been playing in the Portuguese league the difference might be too much.”
Forest should continue transfer approach despite Birtles worries
It does feel at the moment as though the club are damned if they do and damned if they don’t when it comes to the transfer market.
Since winning promotion, Forest have gone down the route of adding players to their ranks who come with a reputation.
The likes of Jesse Lingard and Divock Origi have done good things in the past but were both expensive flops.
Now, Forest are trying to be more strategic with their signings; focusing on younger players with an abundance of energy and it’s still not good enough.
With George Syrianos working tirelessly behind the scenes, Forest look to be in good hands on the recruitment front.
Football has changed since Birtles’ day and Forest aren’t the powerhouse club that they once were when he was strutting his stuff on Trentside.
Until the Reds are firmly established as a Premier League club, Forest will have to show a more meticulous approach and we go against Birtles in suggesting the recruitment this summer has been a refreshing change.
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