MEDICAL UPDATE: STEFAN ORTEGA ARRIVES IN NOTTINGHAM TO FINALIZE SHORT-TERM PREMIER LEAGUE CONTRACT
Nottingham Forest are set to sign Stefan Ortega from Man City for £500k following John Victor's season-ending knee injury.
Nottingham Forest look set to bring some experience and composure to their goalkeeping squad, with Stefan Ortega close to joining from Manchester City. The Independent first broke the story, and it really feels like Forest is moving fast to shore up a key area for the challenging Premier League run-in.
Ortega’s reputation is a little under the radar. At City, he played backup to Ederson, stepping in for cup games and pressure moments. Fifty-six appearances over three seasons isn’t bad, especially behind a nailed-on number one. But football never stands still. With Gianluigi Donnarumma and James Trafford arriving, Ortega dropped to third choice and hasn’t played at all this season.
For Forest, the move just makes sense. Ortega comes in as backup to Matz Sels after John Victor’s season-ending knee injury. That says it all, really. Injuries change everything, and having reliable cover is often the difference between staying up or going down.
Forest fans understand the value of a settled keeper. Matz Sels has been steady, but you need more than just one safe pair of hands these days. Ortega’s time at City hints at high training standards and a strong mentality.
He’s joining Forest on a free, though City could end up pocketing £500,000 if certain clauses kick in. For Forest, that’s a low-risk deal. If bonuses get paid, it means Ortega’s playing and probably doing well—hard to complain about that.
This is part of a busy January for Forest. They’ve brought in Lorenzo Lucca on loan, chased Davide Frattesi, and let players like Douglas Luiz move on. The signings aren’t flashy, but they’re clearly focused on what the squad actually needs.
City, for their part, keep reshaping—Marc Guehi and Antoine Semenyo have come in, and younger players have left. Ortega’s move is just part of that constant cycle.
There’s real value to having a keeper who’s trained every day under Pep Guardiola. Things like positioning, playing out from the back, and staying calm under pressure—City demands that. Forest could pick up some of those habits, even if Ortega isn’t starting every week.
There’s a personal side, too. A player who’s lost his place usually arrives with something to prove. If Ortega gets a chance, you can bet he’ll want to remind everyone why he played for the champions in the first place.
If you’re a Forest fan, this just feels like smart business. Backup goalkeepers don’t grab headlines, but these are the signings that quietly save points. After John Victor got hurt, it was natural to worry about depth. One more injury and things would’ve looked shaky.
Ortega brings a bit of pedigree. Fans remember how calm he was for City in the cups—steady on the ball, quick off his line. Even if he only fills in for a few games, belief in your backup matters. Those relegation scraps can turn on a single late save or a solid game away from home.
Plus, there’s some intrigue about what he’ll bring to the dressing room. Players who’ve been at title-winning clubs can raise the bar, even in training. The younger keepers might learn a thing or two just by watching him go about his business every day.
AWONIYI DOUBLE LEAVES NOTTINGHAM FOREST ON THE VERGE OF PREMIER LEAGUE SAFETY
Nottingham Forest moved closer to safety with a 3-1 win over Chelsea, while West Ham fell into the relegation zone after Spurs won.
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Nottingham Forest came out of the weekend looking pretty safe after pulling off an impressive 3-1 win at Chelsea. They’re almost clear of the relegation mess. Tottenham’s big away win at Aston Villa shook things up too, and now West Ham are back in the bottom three, running out of time faster than ever.
Forest have stepped up just when they needed to, leaving West Ham and Tottenham behind with a string of solid performances. Honestly, no one saw this coming, especially since Vitor Pereira shuffled his lineup with eight changes, fresh off a Europa League win against Aston Villa.
Even so, Forest were ahead within 90 seconds, thanks to Taiwo Awoniyi’s quick strike. By the 15th minute, Igor Jesus calmly buried a penalty after Malo Gusto’s reckless foul in the box. Chelsea had a chance to get back in it, but Cole Palmer wasted a penalty right before the break after a scary head collision involving Jesse Derry.
Awoniyi doubled down and scored again early in the second half, pushing Forest six points ahead of West Ham with just three games left.
West Ham’s weekend started badly; they looked flat and lost to Brentford. Things got worse Sunday night when Tottenham pulled off their first back-to-back Premier League wins since August 2025, beating a heavily rotated Aston Villa side 2-1.
Forest is now out of West Ham’s reach, or almost. Tottenham’s still close enough for Nuno Espirito Santo’s team to worry, but with three tough games coming up, Spurs could stay up even without another win, unless West Ham digs deep and pulls off something unexpected before their home finale against Leeds.
Right now, Forest can practically taste safety. Spurs finally see a way out after weeks of struggle. As for West Ham, they’re left hoping for a miracle, a last-minute twist to dodge the drop.
CESC FABREGAS CONFIRMS INTEREST IN PREMIER LEAGUE RETURN AMID CHELSEA'S MANAGER SEARCH
As Chelsea searches for a new manager, Cesc Fabregas breaks his silence on his future at Como and his Premier League ambitions.
Cesc Fabregas recalls exactly how a conversation with Jose Mourinho prompted him to join Chelsea, despite having the opportunity to return to Arsenal.
After winning six trophies in just three seasons, the Spanish World Cup winner left Barcelona for the second time in 2014. That summer, Fabregas made a move back to the Premier League, signing with Chelsea for about €33 million.
He already knew English football well. Fabregas had arrived at Arsenal as a 16-year-old from Barcelona in 2003 and made 212 Premier League appearances for them. When he decided to leave Barcelona, Manchester City also wanted him, but Chelsea convinced him, mostly thanks to Mourinho.
Talking with talkSPORT’s Rory Jennings on YouTube, Fabregas laid out how it all happened. “Honestly, when I made up my mind to leave Barcelona, my first thought was just to go back to Arsenal. They had this buyback clause; they had two weeks to use it after I told them I was leaving. They knew about it but didn’t take it. That surprised me a little, but in the end, I had to think about my career. I was 27, at the peak of my career, and I wanted to continue performing and winning trophies. City and Chelsea were both options.
“But when Mourinho spoke to me, that was it. He showed me his plans for the team and told me about Diego Costa, Courtois, and Filipe Luis and how, with those guys, we’d win the league. He was right, by the way. We won both the Premier League and the Carling Cup.”
Fabregas wasted no time winning over Chelsea fans. On his debut at Burnley, he set up two goals, including a stunning assist for Andre Schurrle. He finished his first season at Chelsea with five goals and 24 assists, along with Premier League and League Cup medals.
Things dipped the next season. Fabregas got just 15 goal contributions, and Chelsea slipped all the way to tenth. But when Antonio Conte took charge in 2016-17, they bounced back, and Fabregas picked up another league title.
He added an FA Cup win in 2018, his second, after his earlier one with Arsenal, and left for Monaco a few months later. His last Chelsea match came in the FA Cup against Nottingham Forest. When he got subbed off, he couldn’t hold back tears.
Chelsea supporters still sing about him; that “Oh, Fabregas is magic...” chant sticks around. And with his name in the conversation for a possible return, maybe they haven’t seen the last of him yet.
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