Nottingham Forest summer target Givairo Read has admitted he’s still waiting to discover if staying at Feyenoord was the best decision for him.
The youngster was the subject of intense interest throughout the summer after establishing himself as one of the rising stars in European, and certainly Dutch, football.
Roma were particularly interested in a deal and pushed for one for much of the summer transfer window. But they were not the only suitors. Nottingham Forest were also keen as they strengthened for Oliver Glasner.
They eventually signed Daniel Munoz from Crystal Palace, but not before seeing several bids for Read rejected by Feyenoord.
The Dutch club got to a point in which they were uninterested in any bids, preferring to keep the youngster for another year than sell at that point.
€30m bid didn’t happen
And they’ve even gone out of their way to play down any talk of the fees they were offered. For example, Sport Witness reported comments from their director of football Devy Rigaux on that topic.
“I don’t know where that figure (€30m) came from,” he said.
“I’d rather not discuss specific amounts, but I can certainly say it wasn’t thirty million. Besides, it wouldn’t have meant we could have immediately reinvested those millions, so that doesn’t really make the difference.”
Read, meanwhile, has insisted he’s happy about staying about staying at the Dutch club for another year and continuing his development.
“I wasn’t actually disappointed. It could have gone either way,” he said.
“As I’ve said before, I didn’t *have* to leave Feyenoord; I wasn’t here on loan. I’m happy to be here. Of course, it was an opportunity, but whether I’d call it a missed opportunity… you know what I mean. Ultimately, I’m just happy to be here.”
Waiting to see
Since that point, he’s been a man of his word. He’s continued to look forwards, impressed for Feyenoord and even been named the Johan Cruyff Talent of the Month for September.
All indications are that the failure to move to Nottingham Forest or Roma in the summer isn’t lingering over him. And now he admits he’s waiting to see if it was the right choice.
“I knew what the consequences would be if I stayed,” he told ESPN.
“And they’re all good things. I’m playing every game, feeling good, and getting fit again. Honestly, I thought both options were good choices. I didn’t really have a reason to leave.
“Things are going well here so far. I need to keep this momentum going, and then I’ll really be able to say whether this was the best choice or not.”
