Nottingham Forest, since returning to the Premier League back in 2023, have had – by our count – five first-choice goalkeepers.
First there was Dean Henderson. When the Manchester United loanee picked up an injury midway through last season, in came the Real Madrid icon Keylor Navas from Paris Saint-Germain. Matt Turner and Odysseas Vlachodimos shared the number one shirt in the first half of this campaign with neither man really establishing themself, before Forest offered Matz Sels another stab at English football a couple of months ago.
So whether Alvaro Valles would have fixed Nottingham Forest’s long-running Achilles heel is anyone’s guess.
But a series of stellar performances for La Liga’s surprise packages Las Palmas may leave some at the City Ground wondering what might have been. Especially after a pretty unconvincing Sels performance during Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Wolves, Forest conceding a staggering 22nd goal from set-pieces alone as Matheus Cunha scrambled home a 62nd minute equaliser.
Nottingham Forest bid £17m for Alvaro Valles
Miguel Angel Ramirez Alonso, the president of Las Palmas, admitted to Marca this week that the Nuno Espirito Santo’s side had a big-money bid rejected for Valles before former Newcastle stopper Sels crossed the Channel again.
“In December, we had the chance to sell Alvaro Valles,” Alonso says. “We received an offer of 20 million euros (£17 million) from an English team; Nottingham Forest.
“(An offer) which I did not accept.”
The 6ft 4ins Valles, something of a late-bloomer at the age of 26, is a big reason why Las Palmas have stayed clear of an enthralling relegation battle throughout the current campaign. The Canary Island outfit still have a shot of securing a top-half finish.
Arsenal and Aston Villa now linked
According to Spanish reporter Alonso Rivero, there is now interest from Arsenal and Aston Villa. The Gunners are expected to cash in on Aaron Ramsdale this summer amid interest from Newcastle United, HITC understands.
Arsenal have identified Sunderland’s Anthony Patterson and Villarreal’s Filip Jorgensen as potential successors.
Aston Villa, meanwhile, may look to replace Robin Olsen when the Swede’s contract expires at the end of the current campaign.
Valles’ deal is also running out, albeit in the summer of 2025. The Las Palmas president also confirmed back in March that the one-time Real Madrid prospect has little interest in extending his stay at the Estadio Gran Canaria, with a summer exit likely.
“The player is clear,” Alonso says. “He wants to continue evolving in his sporting career and it is not UD Las Palmas who can give him the evolution that he intends. He is doing his job professionally.
“We have tried to extend the contract but (the talks) have been unsuccessful.”
We understand Nottingham Forest are now looking at another goalkeeper; Athletico Paranaense £15 million-rated Brazil international Bento. There is also interest in the likes of Karamoko Dembele, on loan at Blackpool, and Lewis Ferguson, also an ACL blow may keep the latter at Bologna for now.