After Wolves, a Premier League rival, had their bid for Strasbourg midfielder Habib Diarra rejected late in the summer, Nottingham Forest entered the race to sign Diarra.
When looking through the needs and musts of this Nottingham Forest team, another central midfielder is actually not a requirement that jumps out of the page.
The fact that Forest manager Steve Cooper was able to start Orel Mangala, Ibrahim Sangare, and Nicolas Dominguez in their away match against West Ham United on Saturday despite Danilo’s outstanding performance during the team’s last-season comeback speaks volumes about the depth of talent at his disposal.
Don’t overlook highly-regarded Chelsea loanee Andrey Santos, Ryan Yates, or Cheikhou Kouyate.
However, Forest might think this is too good to pass up if Strasbourg is open to hearing offers for Habib Diarra (FootMercato).
In a league full of, well, bright young talents, 19-year-old Diarra stands out as one of the best. The fact that Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, and Juventus have all been linked to him speaks volumes about his talent and potential. On deadline day two months ago, Wolverhampton Wanderers signed Diarra’s former midfield partner Jean-Ricner Bellegarde after having a £21 million bid rejected.
“I can certify that Wolverhampton Wanderers has made us an official offer for Habib Diarra. I declined it with grace. Marc Keller, the president of Strasbourg, told Dernieres Nouvelles d’Alsace that Habib would not be leaving.
