Nottingham Forest have announced the signing of Igor Jesus from Botafogo, with Brazilian centre-back one of the first to welcome his compatriot to the City Ground.
Forest signed Igor Jesus on a four-year contract, stating that the Brazilian will arrive at the club alongside his new teammates for pre-season despite only recently finishing up at the Club World Cup.
In his first words to the Reds fans, Jesus said he had no hesitation about joining Forest, with the chance of playing Premier League and European football under Nuno Espírito Santo clearly too good to turn down.
Given the Brazilian contingent in the Forest squad, he should find it easy enough to settle in, especially given that he clearly already has a relationship with Murillo.
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Murillo helped convince Igor Jesus to sign for Nottingham Forest
Botafogo fans weren’t happy to hear Jesus was being sold and their reaction to the official departure has been very similar, as well as wishing their hero the best of luck at Forest.
He won’t be delving completely into the unknown, though, given that Jesus revealed how helpful Murillo was in deciding that the City Ground was the right place for him.
Speaking to Forest’s website, he said: “I caught up with Murillo with the Brazilian National Team. I spoke to him at the end of the year and asked him what the club was like. He gave me a fantastic account of the club. I was really pleased with what he said and it won me over.”
Alongside Murillo, the work will now start for Jesus to make sure he is ready to adapt to the style of play that the Forest coaching staff will demand of him. However, he already feels like he has an advantage.
Igor Jesus will benefit from pre-season at Nottingham Forest
There was a time when it looked in doubt as to whether Jesus would make it to the start of pre-season at the Forest training ground, given how well Botafogo were doing in the Club World Cup.
However, Forest’s swift action to get the deal done after the Brazilian side lost to Palmeiras deserves credit and has clearly pleased the 24-year-old.
He continued: “I think by arriving at the start of pre-season helps you a lot, it helps you adapt quicker, you can get to know your teammates and the coach’s style of play. I’m really pleased to be arriving at this moment. My teammates can get to know me as well and see what I can offer the team.”
Jesus and the Forest squad will return for pre-season on the 7th of July, ahead of their first friendly against Chesterfield on the 12th.
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