Nottingham Forest added Dilane Bakwa from Strasbourg on deadline day, with the right winger potentially fixing an early issue for Nuno Espírito Santo’s side.
Bakwa chose Forest over Premier League rivals like Leeds United and Sunderland, completing a £35m move on deadline day to bolster the Reds’ options on the right.
When the Frenchman was first linked to the Reds, Premier League fans were jealous of the Bakwa links given his talent on show at Strasbourg, with the question now being where exactly he’ll fit in the attacking pecking order.
Dilane Bakwa in action for Strasbourg
Photo by SEBASTIEN BOZON/AFP via Getty Images
The answer could well be obvious, though, with Bakwa potentially the key to solving a glaring issue that has arisen in recent weeks at the City Ground.
Dilane Bakwa could speed up Nottingham Forest’s attack
After a solid enough draw with Crystal Palace, Forest fell to a 3-0 defeat to West Ham at home to send alarm bells ringing through the fanbase, with the Reds looking dismal in the attacking third.
Statistic Nottingham Forest West Ham
Possession 58% 42%
Passes completed 470 316
xG in open play 0.61 1.45
Ground duels won 31 37
Successful dribbles 6 8
Looking deeper into the stats, Forest had every opportunity to impose themselves more on West Ham with their possession and passes completed, but their xG in open play clearly indicated that the Reds didn’t do enough to either create or take their chances.
Therefore, Forest may need to return to a quicker form of attack, with Bakwa potentially the key, given his ability to dribble and create with more urgency than the likes of Dan Ndoye.
This is not necessarily a criticism of Ndoye, though, with the inclusion of Bakwa allowing the Swiss star to move into a role that may well suit him more.
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Dilane Bakwa could help Dan Ndoye thrive at Nottingham Forest
Ndoye has earned praise from his Forest teammates in his opening Premier League games, but he’s been more of a threat on goal than creatively with a pass accuracy of just 70% so far.
However, like plenty of the Reds’ signings this summer, Ndoye is versatile and could unlock his more creative traits with a tweak in position.
Position Appearances Goals Assists
Left wing 26 3 5
Right wing 13 6 1
Ndoye was adaptable for Bologna last season
In the 24/25 campaign with Bologna, Ndoye played on both flanks to great success, but his creativity was stronger from the left with five assists. Therefore, with the West Ham game highlighting a lack of chances created, he could be best served on the left.
This would then allow Bakwa to slot in on the right, a position where he provided eight assists from last season, allowing the Reds to boost their creative potential.