Celta Vigo sporting director Marco Garcés recently revealed how manager Claudio Giráldez fundamentally shaped the club’s defiant stance against a lucrative Premier League approach. Local Galician newspaper La Voz de Galicia originally brought these crucial behind-the-scenes details to light, exposing the tense calculus that kept defender Javi Rueda at Balaídos during the frantic closing weeks of the summer transfer window.
Throughout August, Nottingham Forest scrambled to reinforce their defensive flank. On August 31st, the Premier League club ultimately secured Daniel Muñoz from Crystal Palace to solve their squad needs.
However, before landing the Colombia international at the City Ground, the Reds exhaustively evaluated several alternative right-backs. Their primary target quickly zeroed in on Javi Rueda, prompting a serious financial play from the English side.
A Lucrative Bid Rejected by Celta Vigo
On August 26th, Nottingham Forest submitted an official transfer proposal ranging between €15m and €20m for the 24-year-old fullback. Celta Vigo originally acquired Rueda from Real Madrid in 2024, leaving Los Blancos with a significant 50% stake in his future economic rights. Just a day after the bid landed, sports media outlets reported that Nottingham Forest had successfully agreed on personal terms with the player’s camp. Despite finding common ground with the player, Celta Vigo abruptly blocked the transaction.
Marco Garcés defended the bold rejection, emphasizing that an immediate cash influx did not outweigh their competitive goals for the ongoing campaign.
“We had a series of offers that would have been more damaging to our sporting project than they would have solved our financial problems,” Garcés stated. “It would have provided a sum that would have alleviated the financial situation. It’s not an amount that can’t be achieved by having a good season in Europe. Claudio’s influence on the decision is significant, as it is in all of them.”
The Real Madrid Complication and Valuation Hurdles
Additional revelations from the Galician publication Metropolitano highlighted how complex ownership structures directly impacted the final verdict. Garcés explicitly pointed out that Real Madrid holding half of Rueda’s rights destroyed the financial logic of accepting a sub-peak valuation. Because Los Blancos commanded a 50% cut of any future sale, Celta Vigo would have retained only half of the €15-20m revenue, leaving them severely under-compensated for a core starter.
The sporting director calculated that Nottingham Forest would have needed to double their initial proposal—pushing figures toward €30m to €40m before Celta Vigo even considered parting ways with their prized defender.
“Then there was the situation with Rueda. As you know, Real Madrid own 50% of his rights,” Garcés explained.
By holding firm against Premier League riches, Celta Vigo prioritised sporting continuity over short-term capital. Claudio Giráldez successfully protected his squad depth, ensuring that Javi Rueda remained a central pillar in their pursuit of European qualification rather than a casualty of a cut-rate mid-window exodus.
