Robbie Findley Signs With Nottingham Forest, Awaiting Work Permit
* Wolverhampton Coach: Robbie Findley Has Signed With Nottingham Forest
Update: Robbie Findley One Step Away From Playing For Storied Nottingham Forest
The only thing currently standing between Robbie Findley and playing for Nottingham Forest is his UK work permit. The now former-RSL striker has signed a two-and-a-half-year deal with the Championship side and will have a permit hearing in January to determine his eligibility.
"The club is very confident that it'll go through," Findley's agent Bill Davies told MLSsoccer.com. "They are building their case."
Miles said if the permit doesn't go through, Findley will turn his attention to a host of other entities that have expressed interest in acquiring his services. Other teams in the UK, as well as teams from Mexico to Switzerland have also pursued Findley, Miles said.
The clear preference, though, is for Findley to play for Forest, one of the more storied teams in England. Despite falling on hard times over the past decade, the team still enjoys solid support and plays in a 30,000-seat stadium. They've won multiple English and European championships and nearly made a return to the Premier League after finishing third in the Championship last year. The Reds currently sit eighth in the Championship table.
Dec 23 1:01p by Jeremiah Oshan - 0 comments
Wolverhampton Coach: Robbie Findley Has Signed With Nottingham Forest
Robbie Findley has apparently signed with a team based in England, but it's not Wolverhampton. Despite trialling with the EPL side, the United States striker has reportedly accepted a contract from Championship side Nottingham Forest.
Nottingham Forest, it should be noted, has not confirmed the signing. Rather, this information is based on comments Wolves coach Mick McCarthy made to the press.
"We had him here, he came and trained with us, got two or three days, but he’s gone to Nottingham Forest," McCarthy said. "We brought him over but he was injured when he came here so we gave him treatment and then he went to Nottingham Forest, so we’ll never know.
"I think he’s been offered a contract, whereas we wanted to have a look at him."
It has been known for some time that Findley was looking to move to Europe after spending the last four seasons in MLS. Real Salt Lake had supposedly offered him a significant contract extension, but he turned it down. He was then left unprotected in the Expansion Draft and was picked by the Portland Timbers, who would retain his rights if he were to choose to return to MLS.
Nottingham Forest has fallen on hard times recently, but is among the more storied teams in England. They were among the founding members of the English Football Association and date their history back to 1865. The team is best known for its run of success under the management of Brian Clough, upon whom the book and movie "Damned United" is based. Clough led Forest to the English First Division title in 1977-78, two straight European Cups (1979-80) and four League Cups (1978-79, 1989-90).
Since the Clough era ended in 1993, though, Forest has bounced around the three top levels of the English soccer pyramid. Forest last played in the EPL in the 1998-99 season and are currently sitting in eighth in the Championship.
