Career on restart: Zinchenko became part of the wood

Oleksandr Zinchenko finds himself at a new beginning. Even though his résumé includes as many as ten trophies with Manchester City, the left-back had to find a way to return to the pitch after a season in which he logged just over 500 Premier League minutes in an Arsenal shirt. Although injuries slowed him down, the Ukrainian decided to fight on, and will now look for happiness at the City Ground.

In the final days of the transfer window, Nottingham Forest brought in the 28-year-old left-back, but only after their primary plan fell through. The original target was Javi Galan, but the strong defender stayed at Atletico in an attempt to earn Diego Simeone’s trust, so Forest turned to Zinchenko and completed the deal swiftly. It’s a loan until the end of the season, after which a permanent transfer will be considered.

Alongside Zinchenko, Nottingham Forest also received FA approval to register Dylan Bakwa after the official deadline for new signings. The right winger joined Strasbourg two years ago from Bordeaux for 10 million euros, and now arrives at the City Ground for a fee of 35 million euros.

And that’s not all. Nottingham, run by controversial Greek businessman Evangelos Marinakis, has signed yet another new player: left-back Cuiabano, bought from Botafogo for 6 million euros. At first glance, nothing unusual, but this already marks the fourth deal between Marinakis and John Textor, the head of Botafogo, in this transfer window—after defender Jairo, striker Igor Jesus, and goalkeeper John Victor also made the move.

No one can convince us that everything here is completely above board.