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Emirati Omar Yabroudi celebrates "dream" job as he joins Nottingham Forest staff

Emirati Omar Yabroudi celebrates "dream" job as he joins Nottingham Forest staff

Emirati Omar Yabroudi says it’s “a dream come true” after being appointed as the first team performance analyst and technical scout at Nottingham Forest.

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The 25-year-old joins the English Championship club after a three-season stint at Barnet FC as performance analyst and head of recruitment and leaves the London side in League Two after winning promotion last season.

While he enjoyed every moment with the Bees, Yabroudi says it was hard to turn down a job with two-time European champions Nottingham Forest after speaking to coach Dougie Freedman.

The pair first met in 2011 when Yabroudi was head academy performance analyst at Crystal Palace and worked under Freedman.

“It was in February when I was with Barnet that I got a call from Dougie Freedman and he spoke to me about the possibility of joining up with him at Nottingham Forest,” reveals Yabroudi.

“At that time, it was quite difficult for me to leave Barnet as it was the middle of the season and we were also going for promotion. I said to him I would wait until the end of the season and think about it.”

And now Yabroudi cannot hide his delight after seeing the facilities at the club last week.

“There was a real buzz when I travelled to the stadium (City Ground); one that you only get a few times in your life," he added.

“Nottingham Forest is a club with a rich culture, a great history and it really is a dream come true for me.”

His job responsibilities will include scouting for talent and analysing match videos before relaying the information to the coaching team.

“I have a good knowledge in the international market and will be looking to scout for players who can help Nottingham Forest succeed.”

He added: “Working for Dougie Freedman is a great honour. He has a great stature as a player and coach and we share the same vision and ideas.”

Asked about what he aims to achieve with Forest, Yabroudi said: “The ultimate goal is to help them get promoted to the Premier League. The Championship is very competitive and we will all need to work hard.”

Roped in by then coach Edgar Davids in 2012, Yabroudi’s contribution at Barnet had been widely praised by manager Martin Allen.

Reflecting back on his time with Barnet, Yabroudi said: “My time at Barnet has been a remarkable journey. I’ve been there for three years. It’s been a rollercoaster ride.

"There have been ups and downs with us fighting to avoid relegation and then push for promotion. I’ve enjoyed my time at Barnet.”


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