Nottingham Forest debate rages as £30m transfer call yet to pay off

Nottingham Forest's Ibrahim Sangare misses from the spot against Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup
-Credit: (Image: Getty)


Few players divide opinion among Nottingham Forest fans at present as much as midfielder Ibrahim Sangare.

The 26-year-old’s penalty miss in the Carabao Cup shootout defeat to Newcastle United followed by a below-par display against Wolverhampton Wanderers reignited debate about the Ivory Coast international. The question has been asked whether he should lose his place in the XI when the Reds return to action.

There is no doubt that with a big price tag comes big expectation. With the Premier League hiatus affording an opportunity for reflection, below we take a look at the situation surrounding Sangare.

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Having an impact?

There is no getting away from the fact Sangare’s first season at the City Ground was a challenging one. Having made the move from PSV for £30 million last September, he struggled to find his feet in English football.

Forest and former head coach Steve Cooper hoped Sangare’s arrival would help them to kick on; that he could be a difference-maker as they tried to evolve their style of play. But the midfielder found it tough going. His Premier League campaign being disrupted by his participation at the Africa Cup of Nations perhaps didn’t help.

It wasn’t just adapting to a new country and a new league he had to contend with, though. He was also floored by a serious bout of malaria which resulted in him losing weight.

"Unfortunately, malaria is still a common disease in Africa and I had the misfortune of catching it,” Sangare recently told The Sun. "I lost a lot of kilos. I can't remember exactly how many. But it's the kind of illness that leaves you feeling physically very weak.

"As a professional footballer in the Premier League your physical health and fitness is obviously very important. I lost a lot of power.”

Come this pre-season, though, Sangare looked sharp. He did well in Forest’s friendlies, and has shown glimpses of promise in the opening games of what will be a big campaign for him.

He was unlucky with his spot-kick against the Magpies as it hit the bar. Against Wolves he was not at his best, but before that he had made considerable strides from last term.

Settling in

The challenges of bedding in at a new club, in a new country and in a new league shouldn’t be underestimated. Not every player hits the ground running straight away.

Head coach Nuno Espirito Santo, however, believes Sangare is beginning to feel more at home - on and off the pitch. His English is developing and he is clearly buying in to what Forest are trying to do.

“I see a different player, honestly. I’m very, very happy with him,” Nuno said before the break. “We are very happy with him. His commitment, not only on the football pitch but socially also - he is improving his English, which is basic for all the players because our communication is in English.

“He is engaging much more. A different person, and of course that will reflect as a player.

“Just going to AFCON affected all the African players. I think he is more settled now and looks happy, which is important. And he is playing. Quality, but room for improvement. Quality, talent, but what I want is small improvements on a daily basis.”

The stats

Finding the right midfield balance is one of the tasks for Nuno this season. Forest didn’t always get it right last term.

Even with Danilo sidelined, the Reds boss has plenty of options. Sangare, Ryan Yates, Elliot Anderson, Nicolas Dominguez and deadline day arrival James Ward-Prowse are all battling for a spot.

Sangare has started all three league games so far and came off the bench in the cup. In the opening match he was paired with Danilo in the centre, with Anderson coming in alongside him for the following two league fixtures.

Against Wolves, Sangare looked a little nervy early on and was a bit careless with the ball - perhaps something of a hangover from his penalty miss. He was substituted on the hour mark and replaced by Yates.

But encouragement should be taken from the midfielder’s stats. The role he plays means he won’t always get the headlines - unlike the more dynamic Anderson - but he is capable of having an impact.

According to the Premier League website, he has won nine tackles so far this term - joint second-highest in the division. Meanwhile, he is joint fourth on the list for most duels won with 24.

Stats don’t mean everything, of course. And as Nuno has said, there is room for improvement.

Worth the money?

Any discussion about Sangare rarely passes without his fee being mentioned. The Reds certainly paid out a lot of money.

It was seen as quite the coup when they secured his signature, given he was being linked with plenty of other clubs. And his arrival was announced with suitable fanfare.

He penned a five-year deal when he signed so still has four years left to run on it. At 26, he is around his peak years, but still has room for growth.

Sangare himself couldn’t do much about how much he cost; he had no say on that. But he is conscious of the need to give something back. "I want to repay the fans for the faith and confidence they've shown in me,” he told The Sun.

"I'm not too sure what percentage of the real me I managed to show the fans last season; 50, 60 or 70 percent. There were many moments when it was tough and I was very frustrated.

"But as a professional sports person and a competitor you have to look for the positives. I wanted to be at my best for Forest but illness, injuries and being away at AFCON hampered my first season.

"I am more or less back to my normal levels and I intend to make more of an impact on the team and on the club. That's all I'm focusing on now."

Sangare still has some way to go to prove value for money. But he has shown promise since returning from the summer break. Fully unlocking his quality is one of the challenges for both player and Nuno this season.

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Fans’ verdict

Sangare was one of the topics of discussion on last week’s episode of NottinghamshireLive’s Garibaldi Red podcast. Presenter Max Hayes and supporter Bal Bansal both had their say.

“I thought he broke the game up well,” Hayes said of the midfielder’s Wolves performance. “However, there were just moments where he was a little bit sloppy in some turnover play and he gave the ball away. Almost you can't have everything with him.

“He is an improvement from last season. We needed an improvement from him, given the amount of money Forest spent on him. But you just wonder whether he's quite there yet.

“I just think he's going to be a player that does really split opinion. I'm kind of 50-50 on him at the minute. I don't know about you, Bal, but would you be tempted to start Yates instead after the international break?”

Bansal replied: “Yes, although I don't want to be too Simon Cowell about it. Defensively, he (Sangare) is good, right? He got the blocks in and he stopped play. But it just seemed he was a few seconds just slow at times. When the ball went past, his leg would then go out at times. He was just a bit slow.

“But when he's got the ball, he did make some good passes going forward. That was really, really good.

“This one's going to be an interesting one. I really, really hope - and it's not just down to the money we spent on him - I really do hope, just for him, that he does prove himself, gets better and comes good. Time will tell, right?”

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