Tricky Trees boss Steve Cooper is keen on bolstering his squad across all positions ahead of Forest’s first season back in the Premier League and Mainz captain Niakhate has been top of his priority list.
Nottingham Forest saw their initial bid knocked back by the German side but finally landed the centre-back on three-year deal for a fee in the region of €15m.
Heidel commended Niakhate for his dedication to the team and praised the player for his leadership skills as it was with him playing a key role that the team achieved a top-half finish for the first time since the 2015/16 season..
The German admitted that the 26-year-old indicated his desire to play in the Premier League to the club, but Mainz had to make sure the money was right as the club did not want to deny the player his dream..
“Moussa’s made it clear that he wanted to play in the Premier League during his career”, Heidel told Mainz’s official site.
“He will now have the opportunity to do so by moving to Nottingham Forest and we didn’t want to deny him this dream.
“The important thing for us was that the financial aspects of this transfer worked for us.
“Moussa developed into a true leader and our captain here at Mainz.
“He’s a great guy, who was always professional both in and outside the dressing room.
“He always gave his all for the club.”
The Tricky Trees will kick off their season on 6th August against Newcastle United after a 23-year hiatus from the Premier League and all eyes will be on Niakhate to make his competitive debut for the club.
