Jair Cunha breaks silence as he sums up Nottingham Forest transfer in one word

A new arrival at Nottingham Forest has spoken out for the first time, admitting how "excited" he is to experience the atmosphere at the City Ground in both the Premier League and Europe next season.

Jair Cunha, an up-and-coming Brazilian defender, signed a five-year deal at the Reds last week, arriving from Botafogo.

The 20-year-old was one of the stars of the Club World Cup in the US, scoring for his side in the 2-1 win over Seattle Sounders.

He arrives as Nuno Espirito Santo's second summer signing after fellow countryman Igor Jesus joined for a reported £10 million earlier this month, and in the aftermath of Anthony Elanga's departure to top flight rivals Newcastle United.

Cunha started his career at Santos where he went on to make 24 appearances for the club, before making the switch to Botafogo.

He has made eight appearances for Brazil at under-20s level, steering them to winning the U20 South America Championship in early 2025.

Speaking for the first time since the move to Forest, Cunha told the club media team: "I feel great, really happy and grateful for this opportunity.

"I hope I can make a big contribution to the team and add a great deal so we can achieve many things together, it’s an indescribable feeling, I’m so happy.

“I’m really looking forward to it (experiencing the City Ground) and really excited about making my debut, I believe I’ve prepared very well for it here in Brazil and will be able to help the team in the best way possible.

“I’ve always been following Nottingham Forest online from the moment I found about the opportunity to come to the Club.

"I’ve been following them ever since and they’re clearly an incredible fanbase, I’m really looking forward to meeting them soon, when I make my debut.

“It’s a really good club, increasingly well-structured and organised, constantly improving and establishing themselves in the Premier League achieving good league positions.

“I think it’s a dream for every young player who starts out in Brazil to move to a European club in a great league.

"For me to have this opportunity at just 20 years old, to play in the best league in the world, is a wonderful feeling. I’m really happy to be joining Nottingham Forest."

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