Nottingham Forest midfielder Ibrahim Sangare enjoyed positive periods in the team at the start and the end of the 2024/25 campaign.
The Ivorian signed for Forest in the summer of 2023, costing the club £30 million in a transfer deadline day swoop from PSV.
It’s not been the most perfect signing in the world, but there is hope, at last, that the player can come good and showcase to the Premier League what he’s capable of.
With Forest set to do lots of juggling with their squad in the summer, it’s intriguing as to what the club might decide to do with Sangare next season.
Now, a reputable journalist covering the East Midlands can shed some light on exactly how the club are feeling behind the scenes about Sangare.
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
How Nottingham Forest feel about Ibrahim Sangare
The 27-year-old enforcer looked a little bit annoyed on Sunday when he was substituted against Chelsea, and Forest didn’t look the same without him.
He wasn’t displaying any sign of fatigue, and with Elliot Anderson on a yellow card, perhaps it was he who should have been coming off the pitch.
The Telegraph’s John Percy is a big fan of Sangare, and he believes that Forest will once again view Sangare as a very important player next season.
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He told the Forest Focus podcast: “The way he was in pre-season and the way he’s finished the season, he’s exactly the sort of player Forest thought they were going to sign. He’s obviously had such bad luck, hasn’t he?
“The injury near the start of the season, the AFCON last year, when I think he lost about 3kg, which for a footballer is a lot and must be a nightmare.
“I just think for Europe next season he’s going to be absolutely ideal with the pace of the game and the experience. I saw him play against Leicester for PSV when they were in Europe, and he absolutely ran the show; he’s a fantastic player.
“The club are so happy with him as well, they really, really want him to come good, which I think in the last game they lost a bit of momentum and control when he went off against Chelsea.
“But, I think he will be a pivotal player next year.”
Sangare can truly star next season for Forest
If Morgan Gibbs-White joins Manchester City, Forest may well ditch a number 10 and instead operate with a three-man midfield next season.
That could suit Sangare down the ground, and with two runners in the engine room with him, he could truly show the Premier League what he can do.
Sangare, as Percy quite rightly says, has been unlucky that a number of factors have prevented him from truly getting going at the City Ground.
With Europe on the cards next season, Nuno Espirito Santo will need more players at his disposal, and the 2025/26 campaign could genuinely be the one for Sangare to shine.