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By 247sportcity | Wednesday, January 21, 2026
NOTTINGHAM – While most Premier League clubs spend the final days of the January window searching for reinforcements to climb the table, Nottingham Forest appear to be prioritizing a puzzling exit strategy. At the center of the intrigue is Cuiabano, the 22-year-old Brazilian left-back whose time at the City Ground may be over before it even truly began.
Despite only arriving in England five months ago in a £5.2 million move from Botafogo, reports from Globo Esporte suggest that Forest are already prepared to cash in. Even more curiously, the club is reportedly rebuffing loan offers in favor of a permanent sale, a move that has left fans and analysts questioning the club’s long-term recruitment logic.
The Timeline: A First-Team Ghost
Cuiabano’s journey at Forest has been a strange one. After signing on deadline day in September 2025, he was immediately loaned back to Botafogo to finish the Brazilian season. Since returning to the banks of the Trent this month, his only competitive action came on Monday night—not for Sean Dyche’s first team, but for the Forest B-Team in a 2-0 victory over PSG at Loughborough University.
Despite starting for the youth side, it appears a first-team breakthrough is nowhere in sight.
The Vasco da Gama Interest
Brazilian outfit Vasco da Gama have registered “strong interest” in taking the left-back home. However, negotiations have hit a roadblock:
- Vasco’s Stance: Seeking a loan deal to bolster their defensive options.
- Forest’s Stance: Insisting on a permanent transfer to recoup their initial investment.
This “hardball” approach is particularly surprising given that Forest are currently short on left-sided defenders, with Oleksandr Zinchenko’s loan from Arsenal reportedly set to be terminated early so he can join Ajax.
[Table: Cuiabano — The Profile of a ‘Forgotten’ Signing]
| Metric | Detail |
| Age / Position | 22 / Left-Back |
| Joined Forest | September 1, 2025 (from Botafogo) |
| Transfer Fee | £5,200,000 |
| First-Team Apps | 0 |
| Current Status | Playing for Forest B-Team (U21s) |
| Interested Parties | Vasco da Gama, Botafogo |
The Shadow of Multi-Club Ownership
The Cuiabano deal is further complicated by the relationship between Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis and Botafogo owner John Textor. In late 2025, Textor made headlines by admitting the pair “adjusted” transfer fees between their clubs—a comment that drew scrutiny from financial fair play regulators.
With Textor’s Eagle Football Holdings currently under a transfer ban, a return to Botafogo for Cuiabano is effectively blocked, leaving the player in a state of limbo.
The “Brighton Model” or Just Chaos?
Forest have often stated their desire to emulate the recruitment models of Brighton or Brentford—signing “hidden gems” and providing a platform for growth. However, the Cuiabano situation suggests the opposite: a player being discarded before he has even had a single training session under the first-team lights.
If Forest are serious about climbing the Premier League table, these “transfer shenanigans” need to be replaced by a stable, consistent recruitment strategy. For now, Cuiabano remains the ultimate symbol of a “curious” Forest era.