Celta Vigo manager Claudio Giráldez says the club took a bold step by rejecting Nottingham Forest‘s bid for Javi Rueda in the summer window.
Oliver Glasner wanted to strengthen the right-back position, and the Premier League side had looked at a few options.
This includes the 24-year-old, and Nottingham Forest had launched a concrete attempt towards the end of August. He joined the La Liga side from Real Madrid in 2024, and Los Blancos retain 50% of his rights.
In the final week of the transfer window, the fullback came close to securing a move to the City Ground. The Reds had offered €15m to Celta Vigo, who had reportedly accepted their offer.
Director confirmed Nottingham Forest approach
On August 27th, Sport Witness covered a report from Spain explaining that Javi Rueda gave his approval to the Reds. They had an agreement in place with Celta Vigo, who then made a U-turn and rejected their offer.
Last month, Celta sporting director Marco Garcés said manager Claudio Giráldez had a big influencing in holding on to the fullback.
The official said his side would have accepted an offer had Nottingham Forest offered €30-40m.
He said: “Then there was the situation with Rueda. As you know, Real Madrid own 50% of his rights. If it had been €30m or €40m, then yes. The amount on offer isn’t something that can’t be replaced by having a good campaign in Europe.”
Manager confirms decision made with club
Claudio Giráldez gave an interview to AS where he talks about the Javi Rueda situation in the summer window.
A few hours before Celta Vigo rejected Nottingham Forest’s bid, the manager said there was no possibility of selling the fullback. He’s now made it clear his public comments had no impact on the situation.
“No, no. I knew it was a current issue, but we have very little time to prepare all the press conferences we give. Communication with the club is fluid,” he said.
“They knew my view, I knew the club’s view, and I think it was misinterpreted as a clash over the idea of forcing the issue. The decision had been more or less made; I was simply trying to set out, in a dispassionate manner, what the club went on to make public shortly afterwards.”
“It’s a risky, courageous move that demonstrates our commitment to nurturing our youth academy players. That’s what I wanted to explain.”
On whether his comments were a tactic to put pressure on Celta to reject an offer for Rueda, Giráldez explained: “The club knew my opinion, and I knew theirs. I tried to provide arguments for a decision I believed was going to be made.”
“The club made a significant effort to keep him. It wasn’t a confrontation or a challenge on my part at all. We agree on 99% of things, and when we disagree, we eventually find a solution.”
The English club ended up signing Daniel Muñoz from Crystal Palace on August 31st. The move saw him reunite with Oliver Glasner at Selhurst Park.
