FC Bayern München - Training SessionPhoto by S. Mellar/FC Bayern via Getty ImagesAfter one season, Omar Richards is headed back to England.One year after moving to Bayern Munich from Reading FC, Omar Richards is headed back to England and will join Nottingham Forest (FCBayern.com):FC Bayern have agreed to the transfer of 24-year-old Omar Richards to English Premier League club Nottingham Forest. The full-back joined the German record champions last summer on a free transfer from Reading in England’s second tier.According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Nottingham Forest will pay Bayern Munich €10 million for Richards and the Bavarians will also maintain a 15% sell-on fee should Nottingham Forest eventually sell the left-back:Omar Richards has just passed the medical tests as new Nottingham Forest player, today morning. Full agreement with Bayern for €10m fee. It’s done - here we go #NFFC

Been told there’s also 15% sell on clause included in the agreeement between Forest and Bayern. pic.twitter.com/fO4QqoaewQ— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 10, 2022Bayern Munich sporting director Hasan “Brazzo” Salihamidžić thanked Richards for his time in Germany: “It was Omar’s wish that we allow him to join Nottingham Forest. He sees the opportunity to become a first-team regular at a Premier League club in his home country. Forest are getting a very good player and a lovely guy, who will forge ahead. We wish him all the best.”Richards posted this farewell message on his Instagram account as well:View this post on InstagramA post shared by OTR (@omar.richards)

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Hertha BSC v FC Bayern München - Bundesliga Photo by Nico Paetzel/DeFodi Images via Getty Images Perhaps our executives should take a few notes. Omar Richards’ stay at Bayern Munich was short and sweet. The young Englishman was well liked by his fellow players and staff but considered surplus to needs after a single season on the Bayern roster. He was thus sold on to Nottingham Forest as they tried to build out their roster for the fight to stay up in the English Premier League.Now it seems that he already had a hairline fracture in his leg when he left Bayern to join Forest which was not caught in his medical (x-rays are often not done in medicals). The leg fracture, a hernia and some other injuries derailed the entire first year of the young man at Forest.According to The Athletic, this led to at least one interesting phone call between Forest owner Forest Evangelos Marinakis and members of Bayern’s hierarchy in an attempt to get recompense for buying damaged goods. But that is not the story we are covering here.The story here is how Forest reacted to the new information about their prize acquisition in an attempt to get the best deal possible in the transfer market.Knowing that clubs would try to squeeze them for more money for a new left-back if they knew Forest was desperate at that spot, they ran full PSYOPs to counter that risk.It was not just a matter of not telling anyone that Richards was hurt (which they didn’t at the time), they spread information designed to make other clubs conclude that he was going to be the starting left-back on the squad.It started with letting the word out that they were seeking new left-backs for depth behind Richards when they were out in the market looking for replacement talent. Then it got fun.Forest’s media published photos on the team website of Richards training with the team when he in fact was not. The details of how this was done are not clear.The team went so far as to list Richards as a sub for a preseason match against Hertha Berlin that he could not have played in due to his leg fracture. |

Steve Cooper names his side ahead of tonight's pre-season fixture at the Pirelli Stadium

#NFFC pic.twitter.com/DM2ObcPJeC— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) July 20, 2022Forest ended up with a top notch replacement at a reasonable price who was an important player in keeping them up after their promotion. Perhaps a little subtlety and subterfuge might serve Bayern better than telling the world who they are trying to offload at press conferences?

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<a href="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7h1jgV8aQji1RIEuBadv04gmMhQ=/0x0:5427x3618/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72498698/1565883862.0.jpg">Brentford FC v Fulham FC - Pre-Season Friendly</a> Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images Does Bayern Munich really need to spend money on another goalkeeper. <a href="https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1685552556662194176?s=20">Raya the choice for Bayern? (@FabrizioRomano)</a>Hmmm...Brentford’s David Raya has emerged as <a href="https://www.bavarianfootballworks.com">Bayern Munich</a>’s choice to play the role of back-up to Manuel Neuer (and maybe goalkeeper of the future) at the club. Fabrizio Romano says that Bayern Munich is 100% focused on Raya, which seems odd...but here we are: Despite talks with many goalkeepers, Bayern are now 100% focused on David Raya trying to find a way to make it happen with Brentford

Bayern want new goalkeeper by the end of next week as Yann Sommer is also waiting to join Inter. <a href="https://t.co/RKTHUtOnYQ">pic.twitter.com/RKTHUtOnYQ</a>— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) <a href="https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1685552556662194176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2023</a>However, not everyone thinks Bayern Munich is willing to pay what it will take to get Raya: Bayern bosses appreciate David Raya's ball playing qualities. The club is unwilling to pay a high fee for a goalkeeper this summer. They're looking for a similar profile/magnitude to Yann Sommer [<a href="https://twitter.com/kessler_philipp?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kessler_philipp</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/mano_bonke?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mano_bonke</a>]— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) <a href="https://twitter.com/iMiaSanMia/status/1685628213962088448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2023</a>ℹ️ David <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Raya?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Raya</a> was a candidate but a possible transfer is close the be off now for Bayern. Therefore: Still no light for Sommer.

➡️ As reported: Bayern, not in the situation to spend a high fee for a new No. 1 in this window.

Bayern was always evaluating more options. Not… <a href="https://t.co/eMpibOFoJc">pic.twitter.com/eMpibOFoJc</a>— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) <a href="https://twitter.com/Plettigoal/status/1685666840914038784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2023</a>In addition to all of that, <a href="https://theshortfuse.sbnation.com">Arsenal FC</a> could make a play for Raya as well: EXCL: Arsenal exploring deal to sign Brentford goalkeeper David Raya. No bid yet but <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BrentfordFC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BrentfordFC</a> aware of interest. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FCBayern?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FCBayern</a> also pursuing but 27yo keen to join <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AFC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AFC</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NFFC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NFFC</a> considering Matt Turner; gap in valuations but dialogue ongoing <a href="https://twitter.com/TheAthleticFC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheAthleticFC</a> <a href="https://t.co/0D69bVZ75Q">https://t.co/0D69bVZ75Q</a>— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) <a href="https://twitter.com/David_Ornstein/status/1685644081836273665?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2023</a>Raya is a fine player, but the cost is what is sort of concerning — especially because it is unclear just how much Neuer will be playing and where Alexander Nübel might fit into things upon return from his loan at VfB Stuttgart. To add one more iron to this fire, Sevilla’s Yassine Bounou is also still on Bayern Munich’s radar: With Sommer on his way to Inter, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bayern?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Bayern</a> have to find a new goalkeeper to replace the one.

<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bounou?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Bounou</a> is climbing positions in their list and an official contact for the GK is expected already in the next hours.

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