Nottingham Forest midfielder Ibrahim Sangaré has explained why he got emotional leaving PSV Eindhoven, even though he wanted a move to the Premier League.
Soccer News cover comments from the midfielder today in which he explains his deep connection to the Dutch club after his time there.
Sangaré spent three years in the Netherlands after joining PSV in a €7m deal for Toulouse in September 2020.
He went on to make 140 appearances for the club in total, winning the KNVB Cup twice and the Johan Cruyff Shield three times as well.
He eventually left to join Nottingham Forest last summer, joining the Premier League side in a €35m deal at the beginning of September.
That was the next step for the 26-year-old and one he was happy to take, but various videos later emerged of him saying a very emotional farewell to the Dutch club.
He appeared to be devastated to be leaving, leading some to question whether the move he was making at the time.
He, though, insists there was nothing untoward and those emotions he demonstrated were not a slight on Nottingham Forest either.
“The fact that I was able to make the move from Toulouse to PSV four years ago has been magnificent for my career and I still consider it an honour,” he said.
“From day one I have received and felt nothing but love from the supporters at PSV. I won’t forget that for the rest of my life. That’s why I became emotional when saying goodbye. It was a very special moment, and I will carry it with me forever.
“In football you sometimes make a step, everyone knows that. When you leave something behind where you had such a good time, it affects you.
“After three years, it was good for myself to have a change of scenery, despite the pain I felt for a while. Playing in the Premier League was a wonderful experience, and I was able to develop further. Nottingham is a great club with professional people. There is no longer any pressure to be relegated, on the contrary. We want to continue to participate in the first part of the rankings.”
