Since joining Nottingham Forest in the 2022 Summer Transfer, Emmanuel Dennis has struggled with his limited playing time under Steve Cooper's management
Nottingham Forest-owned star, Emmanuel Dennis, has revealed that a conversation with Emmanuel Adebayor, was one of the reasons he chose to join Istanbul Basaksehir, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Turkish Süper Lig giant announced a significant addition to their squad by reaching an agreement with Super Eagles forward on loan from English Premier League side, Forest on a season-long loan.
The Nigerian star was linked with a move to replace Rasmus Hojlund in Atalanta, Udinese, and Fenerbahçe during the summer transfer window, but if all fell through.
The Super Eagles star finally found an escape route from Nottingham after securing a deal to keep him out of the City Ground Stadium.
After the completion of the transfer, the Super Eagles star shared his thoughts in a video posted on Başakşehir's social media account.
✍🏻 Hoş Geldin Emmanuel Dennis
🗣️ Başakşehir ile ilk tanışmam Club Brugge ile oynadığımız Şampiyonlar Ligi maçıydı.
🗣️ Kulüp 50 Avrupa Kupası maçı oynadı bu çok önemli.
🗣️ Buraya gelmeye karar verdim ve bundan mutluyum. pic.twitter.com/clXCMXSfr5
— RAMS Başakşehir (@ibfk2014) September 15, 2023
He recounted his initial encounter with the club during a Champions League qualifying match against Club Brugge, where he also met the former Manchester City star. This meeting left a lasting impression on him and played a role in his decision to join the Turkish club.
“My first meeting with Başakşehir was the Champions League qualifying match we played against Club Brugge. Emmanuel Adebayor was also playing in the match.
“I had a conversation with him after the match. It was a very good conversation. Afterwards, he invited me to Istanbul. I came, we even met here.
“We went to his house and spent the whole day together. He told me somethings about the club, and they stayed in my mind.”
He further explained that his agent had recently informed him about Başakşehir's interest in signing him, and he was eager to make the move.
Dennis emphasized the positive reputation of the club and its recent accomplishments in European competitions.
“The club has done very good things recently. They played 50 European matches. This is a very important number and it shows that the club is developing,” Dennis noted.
The former PAOK forward made 27 appearances for Nottingham Forest during the previous season, contributing two goals and three assists. His arrival at Istanbul Başakşehir is expected to bolster the team's squad for the upcoming season.
