Latest Nottingham Forest news as Reds defender Omar Richards prepares for end of Olympiacos loan spell
A few weeks ago, it was put to Omar Richards that two years on from being out of the picture at Nottingham Forest he was suddenly 90 minutes away from a European final.
Speaking after a semi-final first leg win over Aston Villa in the Europa Conference League, with some degree of understatement the left-back replied: “When you say it like that, it’s crazy. I’ve been through a lot in the last couple of years.”
Hasn’t he just. Signed from Bayern Munich on a four-year deal for a reported £10 million, there was a lot of excitement about Richards ahead of the Reds’ return to the Premier League. He was seen as a quality addition.
Forest fans, though, are still waiting to see what he has to offer. But that could soon change.
Richards’ first year as a Red was spent on the sidelines. A hairline fracture of the leg, muscle injuries and a hernia meant he never got to kick a ball for the club. Conversations about “set-backs” cropped up in then head coach Steve Cooper’s press conferences. Even last summer, although he was able to join in training to some degree, the defender did not get a run-out in pre-season.
A change of scene was viewed as the best way forward. A loan to fellow Evangelos Marinakis-owned club Olympiacos followed.
When that stint comes to an end, Richards could return to the City Ground as a Europa Conference League champion as the Greek outfit saw off Villa to reach the showpiece finale. Would he then be able to cut it in the Premier League?
“Clearly, yes,” says Vassilis Konstantopoulos, who covers Olympiacos for Novasports. “His quality is exceptional.
“He is a player who stands out when he competes, and this was proven by his performances in the two very difficult matches against Fenerbahce and Aston Villa. However, his coach must manage him with patience and faith in order not to ‘lose’ him during the season.
“He is a player who believes very much in his own worth and self. This is clear from the way he seizes every opportunity.
“The few appearances have certainly not satisfied him. However, good performances in the majority of these matches have filled him with confidence in view of the continuation of his career. In his statements, he has clearly said that in order to show what he really deserves, he needs rhythm, which comes through appearances.”
Understandably, given the length of absence, even in Greece Richards took time to get going. He had to get fit first of all and then he suffered another slight injury issue.
His debut for Olympiacos came four months after he had put pen to paper. It was a four-minute cameo from off the bench in a 5-2 Europa League victory over Serbian side Backa Topola.
Since then, the 26-year-old has made 10 league appearances – seven of them in the starting XI – and has featured three times in Europe. He was a half-time substitute at Villa Park as the visitors triumphed 4-2. And although he was not involved in the return leg, which Olympiacos won 2-0, he will no doubt hope to feature in next week’s final against Fiorentina.
“As I told you, he has not been able to find the rhythm he would like. Small problems left him in the shadows, but it was clear from the middle of the season onwards he was in good shape,” Konstantopoulos says. “However, other players had already surpassed him in the coaches’ choices for the left of the defence.”
Indeed, managerial changes over the course of the campaign have only added to Richards’ challenge. Diego Martinez was in charge when the defender arrived at Olympiacos, Carlos Carvalhal took over in December and then he was replaced by Jose Luis Mendilibar in February.
“Omar missed a lot of time as he entered the daily life of the team late and suffered from injury,” Konstantopoulos says. “This left him well behind at left-back, as Francisco Ortega has plenty of physical strength and took the spot as a starter, while Diego Martinez preferred compatriot Quini as an alternative, although that is not his normal position.
“All that changed with the arrival of Carlos Carvalhal, who saw that Richards could also help him as a left winger. However, Jose Luis Mendilibar is the coach who gave him real opportunities. On the 26th matchday of the Greek league, he played his first 90 minutes.
“He also seemed to feel better psychologically and performed great in the matches against Fenerbahce and Aston Villa, helping Olympiacos to get important qualifications. In the play-offs of the championship, Mendilibar gave him four appearances of 90 minutes and Richards counted the same number of victories with Olympiacos, while he also had one assist.
“He was the favourite to play against Aston Villa in the second leg in Athens, but a minor problem ruled him out again. This is a player who has quality, but injuries have not let him stand out. Richards feels better with Mendilibar, as he is a coach who reckons with him and boosts him psychologically.”
So what next for Richards? He will return to the City Ground this summer and will have a new manager to impress. Cooper was still at the helm when the former Reading man left for Greece last August; now he will need to see where he stands in Nuno Espirito Santo’s plans.
Asked about his situation with the Reds, Richards said on that night at Villa Park: “I don’t know about that yet. It’s something we’ll sort out at the end of the season.”
Ola Aina has impressed in the Garibaldi at left-back during the season just gone but can also play on the right, while Harry Toffolo has generally been a reliable performer when he has featured. Nuno Tavares’ loan from Arsenal has come to an end.
Nuno is keen to have a tight squad, so it remains to be seen whether he wants three potential left-backs on the books. It could be that Richards is afforded an opportunity to catch the eye in pre-season.
“He is a player characterised by speed and attacking fluency,” says Konstantopoulos. “The fans of Olympiacos were used to this position with Francisco Ortega, who may have physical strength but he does not have much quality with the ball at his feet. When Richards played, that was the big difference.
“He is a player who helped not only in the blocking part, but also in the attack. The match against Fenerbahce in Turkey stands out, when he came on as a substitute for the injured Ortega in the 89th minute and managed to adapt immediately and perform exceptionally well in the extra-time that led to the winning penalty shootout for Olympiacos.”
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