Serge Aurier completes move to Nottingham Forest

Ivory Coast captain Serge Aurier has completed his move to Premier League newcomers Nottingham Forest.

Last week, Nottingham Forest confirmed the signing, subject to visa approval. Aurier does not have a French visa despite spending his formative years in France.

Aurier is a free agent after leaving Villarreal, where he spent last season. He managed 24 appearances for the Yellow Submarines but was the second choice under Unai Emery.

He made five appearances in the UEFA Champions League as they reached the semi-final, losing to Liverpool.

Before that, he was at Tottenham Hotspur, where he spent four seasons after joining in 2017 for £23 million. The 29-year-old spent four years in London and made 110 appearances for Tottenham in all competitions.

He was part of the squad that reached the 2019 Champions League final under Mauricio Pochettino.

Aurier has also won 81 caps for the Ivory Coast national team since he made his international debut against Gambia on June 8, 2013.

He won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2015 with the Elephants. He made it into the team of the tournament.

Aurier came through the youth ranks with Lens before breaking into the first team in 2009. He would leave for Toulouse in 2012, where he spent another three years.

Aurier joined Paris Saint-Germain on an initial one-year loan with an option for Les Parisiens to buy that they later took. He signed a four-year contract.

On February 14, 2016, PSG indefinitely suspended Aurier after calling teammate Angel Di Maria a clown and calling head coach Laurent Blanc a homophobic slur during a question-and-answer session on Periscope.

The full-back also criticized supposed favoritism toward Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic. PSG ordered Aurier to train with their reserve side from February 29 until March 20. He rejoined the squad and got the move to Spurs a year later.

Aurier is Forest’s 22nd transfer in what has been a bizarre approach. They smashed the record for the number of recruits with their 21 new signings this summer.

However, Aurier will not be available for his new club when they face Fulham tomorrow. Visa issues prevented him from being registered in time to make his debut just yet.

Aurier will have to wait until after the international break to make his first appearance.