Following the appointment of Jorge Jesus, the vastly experienced former Benfica manager is expected to shake things up at Fenerbahce, who finished second in the Turkish Super Lig behind city rivals Trabzonspor last season.
Heading into the 2022-23 campaign, the club is keen to take an important step forward, backing their new head coach with funds to improve the squad, which could be boosted by the lucrative sale of existing players. According to English digital sports outlet HITC, one potential departure could be Attila Szalai, who has earned a glowing reputation during his time at Fenerbahce.
The reports highlight interest from newly-promoted Premier League side Nottingham Forest, who sent scouts to watch Szalai during the surprise UEFA Nations League win for Hungary against England, when he played on the left side of a central defensive trio. Considering he played a key role towards his national team keeping a clean sheet, containing numerous threats posed by the English team, those scouts will have undoubtedly been impressed with the performance they witnessed.
Fenerbahce won’t sell cheaply
Szalai has gone from strength to strength since joining from Cypriot side Apollon Limassol, costing Fenerbahce around €2.2 million during the January 2021 transfer window. Now the Turkish club could be set to make a huge profit on the Hungarian international, especially given that several English Premier League clubs have been monitoring his progress.
Throughout his 52 appearances with Fenerbahce, towering center-back Szalai has continued to develop his defensive skills, rating highly for his concentration and passing game at various tactical analysis websites. Those attributes would make him ideally suited to the tactical preferences of Nottingham Forest, under the management of head coach Steve Cooper, who likes his players to be confident when in possession of the ball.
