“I immediately said go for it” – Player says he jumped at chance to join ‘historic’ Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest striker Jota Silva has revealed he immediately jumped at the chance to join the “historic” club this summer.

   The forward spoke to O Joga about his move and how happy he is to now be playing in the Premier League.

   Silva joined Nottingham Forest in a €7m deal from Vitoria Guimaraes last summer after impressing at the Portuguese side for two years following a €190,000 move from Casa Pia in 2022.

   He was long linked with a move to the Premier League, but it was Nottingham Forest who ultimately took the plunge and gave the 25-year-old his first chance at football outside of Portugal.

   Of course, there are more and more Portuguese-speaking contingents at Nottingham Forest these days, with Portuguese nationals like Eric da Silva Moreira joined by the Brazilian group of Danilo, Morato, Murillo and Carlos Miguel.

   That means Silva was on his way to a dressing room where he could easily adapt and even sought the insight of those who came before him, talking to Tiago Silva and Cafu about the club.

   They had only positive things to share and this only convinced Silva even more, who immediately decided to transfer anyway.

   “It was a dream to play in the Premier League,” he said.

   “When I heard that Nottingham was interested, I immediately said it was for it, because it is also a historic club. It has a very ambitious project and it is growing. All this made me accept and come here. They were very quick choices  and decisions.

   “I spoke to the people closest to me to help me and give me their opinion. When I heard about Nottingham’s interest, I ended up talking to Tiago [Silva] who was already here. He gave me very good information  about a club that also helped me.

   “When I arrived here, Bruno Fernandes sent me a message wishing me luck and saying he would like to be here. Cafu, who also played here, immediately told me that I would be very well received.

   “It’s the best thing in the world. Everyone dreams of playing here, and I’m no exception. As soon as I heard about the opportunity, I didn’t want to let it go.”

   Asked publicly about his adjustment, Jota Silva once again made it clear how happy he is at Nottingham Forest: “They’ve been amazing with me.  They showed me around very quickly.  The club is very homely which makes things much easier.  They made me feel very comfortable at Home.  Also because we are starting the season very well, I am very happy.”

   Playing for Nuno Espirito Santo, he said: “It was really good. For my first project outside of Portugal, it really helps to have a Portuguese coach.”