Nottingham Forest signing's Greek adventure already full of highs and lows - Debut goal, manager gone
Sport Witness · Pedro Reinert · 2026-09-11T07:41:06+00:00 · nguồn gốc
Nottingham Forest signing Gustavo Puerta has barely arrived in Greece and life at Olympiacos is already delivering some pretty big highs and lows.
The Colombian was officially presented on September 2, starting the first part of his unusual route to Forest. He’ll spend this season at Olympiacos before heading to the Premier League next year.
His first start couldn’t have gone much better. Puerta scored a lovely goal in a 3-2 win over Volos and walked off to applause from the home crowd.
Then, almost immediately, the manager who welcomed him to Greece was gone.
José Luis Mendilibar has been sacked by Olympiacos, just seven days after Puerta’s arrival. Imanol Alguacil has already been appointed as his replacement.
Colombian outlets Semana and El Futbolero have picked up on what that means for the midfielder. Puerta now has to start again with a manager who wasn’t involved in his signing.
Everything changes after great start
Puerta had quickly made an impression on Mendilibar. His debut performance looked like the perfect way to begin earning his manager’s trust.
Less than 24 hours later, Olympiacos announced Mendilibar’s departure, and it feels Marinakis has done one of his bits again.
AS Colombia credits his sacking to Olympiacos’ “uneven” start to their campaign – first place in the league, with two wins and a draw, and two wins in the Greek Cup. The only upset so far was their Champions League playoff exit.
They drew at home with NAC Breda before losing in the Netherlands, dropping into the Europa League. Despite winning four trophies with Olympiacos, Mendilibar was then shown the door.
Whatever happened behind the scenes, Puerta now finds himself saying goodbye to the coach who was in place when his move was arranged.
In a separate report, AS Colombia report that Alguacil has taken over and will make his debut against OFI on Saturday. The 55-year-old is best known for his long spell at Real Sociedad. He managed them for six and a half seasons and won the Copa del Rey.
That Spanish connection could help Puerta. Alguacil will certainly know the league where the midfielder impressed for Racing Santander last season.
AS Colombia also highlight the new manager’s record of working with younger players. Puerta, at 23, should fit nicely into that category.
Still, there’s no getting around the sudden change. Forest and Evangelos Marinakis’ group have made a huge investment in Puerta, with the plan being for him to develop at Olympiacos before moving to England. But life in Greece certainly hasn’t started quietly.