2 days ago
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Set to sign
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Nottingham Forest didn’t wait around long to find a replacement for Anthony Elanga. According to Fabrizio Romano, the Premier League side are set to complete the signing of Bologna winger Dan Ndoye for an initial fee of €40 million, plus €5m in add ons and an additional clause that will entitle the Serie A side to 10 percent of Ndoye’s transfer fee when he eventually leaves Forest. Such a fee would make the Switzerland international the club’s second largest signing of all time, just below the €41.2m Forest paid for Elliot Anderson last summer. However, if the add ons are met, Ndoye will move to top spot.
Such a fee undoubtedly suggests that Forest were very keen to sign a player that many consider to be a direct replacement for the star they just sold. Ndoye may go on to become his new club’s record signing, but he’ll have to do very well to replace the club’s record sale, after Elanga departed the English club for Newcastle in a deal worth €61.4m earlier this month. So how good is Forest’s new signing and does he have the talent to fill in for Elanga on the right wing this season?
Ndoye made the move to Serie A in 2023, when Bologna signed the young winger from Basel for a fee of €10.2m. And since then he has undoubtedly established himself as an attacking talent that can play at the highest level. Although Ndoye was slow off the mark, bagging just three goals and assists in 32 league games in his first season for the club, he undoubtedly got up to speed last season, clocking no less than 12 goals and assists in 30 league games for Vincenzo Italiano’s side. “Ndoye had a solid first season, although he struggled when it came to pure numbers,” said Stefano Buonfino, Transfermark’s Serie A expert when asked about the Swiss forward’s time in Italy. “In his second year, he truly broke out—his performances improved even further, and he began scoring regularly, becoming one of the most decisive wingers in the league.”
Can Ndoye replace Elanga at Forest this season?
What Forest fans will want to know is whether their new signing is capable of replacing Elanga, who ended up bagging 31 goals and assists in 74 league games for the club. The 23-year-old Swedish talent was largely able to achieve that thanks to his excellent dribbling skills, which helped him to take advantage of the fast-paced nature of the Premier League. And, luckily for Forest, Ndoye certainly has many of those same skills and talents as his predecessor, according to Buonfino. “Ndoye is very fast, quick, hard to catch, and explosive in one-on-one situations,” noted Buonfino when asked about the player’s style of play. “When he finds space, he’s lethal, as he’s able to make the most of his advantage. Over the past season, he’s also improved against compact defenses, thanks to his unpredictability.”
Indeed, Ndoye picked up an impressive average of 0.50 goals and assists per 90 in Serie A last season, which isn’t too far off Elanga’s average in the Premier League of 0.61 per 90. But the €40m question is undoubtedly whether Ndoye can maintain that average and even improve on it in the English top-flight this season. Here, Bounfino is again optimistic for Forest’s new signing. “Ndoye is an intelligent player who seems to have worked on his flaws, adapting very well to the tactical demands of Serie A,” noted the Italian football expert. “If he finds high defensive lines and space to attack in the Premier League, he could establish himself as a valuable asset in the league—perhaps even attracting the interest of more ambitious clubs.”
The prospect of losing another top-class winger before he’s even joined the club won’t fill Forest fans with much joy, but long before they have to seriously worry about such a scenario, they can most likely rest easy in knowing that the club have signed an ideal solution to their right-winger problems. Ndoye may not be Elanga, but he could go a long way to replacing the winger in the forthcoming Premier League campaign.
