“I have no doubts” – Player insists he’s right to snub Saudi for Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest signing Gustavo Sá already has his sights firmly set on the Premier League, despite currently being on loan at Olympiacos.

The 21-year-old believes his spell in Greece will leave him much better prepared for Forest. He has also been very open about the weakness in his game he needs to fix before making that step.

Admiration and respect for Forest

Speaking to Liga Portugal’s videocast, Sá explained that leaving Famalicão was something he had expected for some time. Nottingham Forest were also very difficult to turn down once they arrived.

“When a club like Nottingham appears, it’s difficult for me to say no,” he said. “It’s also difficult for Famalicão to say no when Famalicão asks for certain figures and the club pays the figures the other club asks for.”

“I know the name Nottingham have, not only in England but around Europe. I also knew about this part with the loan to Olympiacos, which everyone knows is the biggest club in Greece.”

“I think it’s going to help me grow a lot. I’m very happy to have taken this step in my career.”

“When I enter the Premier League”

Sá hadn’t imagined himself moving to Olympiacos when he was considering his future at Famalicão last season. Things changed, and he now sees why the move can work in his favour.

“Sometimes we don’t control things 100%. Things aren’t 100% how we want them to be,” he explained.

“I’m obviously not saying I don’t want to be here, because of course I want to be here. It’s something which, as I’ve already said, will improve me, improve a lot of things in my game and help me grow a lot.”

“I know that in six months or next year, when I enter the Premier League, at Nottingham, I’ll be much more prepared than if I’d gone directly from Famalicão to Nottingham. I have no doubts about that.”

That sounds very much like a player who sees Olympiacos as preparation for what comes next.

He wouldn’t say whether the loan decision was made before or after signing for Forest. There were clearly some details he wasn’t prepared to discuss. What he did explain was why the move makes sense.

“It’s a loan to a big European club and we’re going to play European competitions,” Sá said. “It’s a big European stage, it’ll help me a lot and I’m grateful.”

“It’s different going from Famalicão to the Premier League and going with European experience from Olympiacos to the Premier League. That’s obvious.”

Sá knows what he needs to fix before Forest

It was interesting to hear how honest Sá was about his own game. The midfielder believes intensity is the area where he needs the most work.

“I know I’m going to improve a lot in the aspect my game lacks the most,” he said.

“That’s intensity in every moment of the game, being able to keep myself intense and keep moving in every moment of the game.”

“I know that was something I sometimes lacked at Famalicão. I know I’ll improve that a lot here as well, with the level of the teams we play, especially in the Europa League.

“That’s one of the main things that exists in the Premier League. It’s the best league in the world, the most intense league in the world, and it’s something that will help me arrive there more prepared.”

Later in the interview, Sá even suggested that particular weakness could help explain why he didn’t go straight into the Premier League.

“My game isn’t very intense and I’m going to have to improve that if I want to make the step to the Premier League,” he said.

“I know that’s one of the factors why I perhaps didn’t go straight into the Premier League, or another club, who knows.”

“But I also know my value and nobody will ever make me doubt that. Never.”

Millions weren’t enough to change Sá’s plans

There’s another part of Sá’s story which helps explain his approach to this Forest move. Before joining them, the midfielder had a huge offer from Saudi Arabia.

Famalicão accepted Al-Ittihad’s proposal and Sá entered talks over personal terms. The money on offer was enormous.

The interviewer mentioned reports of around €17m (£14.7m) over three years. Sá replied that the real figure was actually “a bit more than that”. Still, he said no.

“I had a career plan,” Sá explained. “I knew what I wanted for my career and it wasn’t because of the money that I was going to change that.”

He admitted accepting would have immediately changed his life financially.

“Obviously the financial side is important. I’m not going to lie and say it isn’t, because it is,” he said. “But I think the sporting side was more important to me at that moment.”

“I knew that if I went there, my life would change immediately on the financial side. I also knew that on the sporting side it could change. So I decided to stay here and follow the objectives I had in football.”

There are no regrets either. Sá said he would make exactly the same decision again. That gives Forest a pretty good idea of the character they’ve signed.

And when Sá looked further ahead at the end of the interview, the Premier League came up again.

“I want to prove to myself that I can get through this phase,” he said. “I know this experience will help me a lot and will make me arrive in the Premier League, or wherever I go, much more prepared.”