What Dan Ndoye would bring to Nottingham Forest: Driving runs and a sense of fun

New York Times

5 days ago

At Nottingham Forest, the recruitment model has been established for some time: sign good young players who possess a fierce desire — and ability — to improve.
That was true of Anthony Elanga, who made the big decision to swap Old Trafford for the City Ground two years ago in an effort to advance his career. It emphatically worked.
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But the same can definitely be said of Dan Ndoye, the player Forest hope can fill the void left by Elanga's £52million move to Newcastle, if they can agree a deal with Bologna. Over the past year in Italy, Ndoye has been fiercely focused on his personal improvement.
In his first season in Serie A, the Swiss international contributed one goal and one assist. But those stats do not tell the whole story. Ndoye was still seen as an important figure, as the club secured Champions League football for the first time since 1964-65.
But following the appointment of Vincenzo Italiano as Bologna's head coach in the summer of 2024, Ndoye has worked intensively under the man labelled 'un piccolo Pep' in Italy — because of his shared love of possession-based football that Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has made his trademark.
German-born Italiano helped Ndoye to work on his decision-making, to become more instinctive. It reaped dividends for the 24-year-old, who scored eight goals and provided four assists in his second season at Bologna.
'I'm trying to be indispensable,' Ndoye said in an interview with Blue Sport in April. 'I like it. I like the responsibility. I like it when I can make the difference. I know that I have to prove something, that I have to be on top of my game all the time. I like that, having a bit of pressure.'
Ndoye is a player who plays with a smile on his face; somebody who, having dreamed of being a footballer since he was a small child, is determined to make the most of every day now.
'For me, the basis of football is to have fun,' said Ndoye. 'To live today, what I've always wanted to live, without enjoying it, would be a bit silly. Every time I step onto the football pitch, I do it with a smile.'
Football is often a small world. Ndoye is part of a Bologna side that also includes a familiar face, in fellow Swiss international Remo Freuler, who was a first-team regular under Steve Cooper at Forest in the 2022-23 season, just after they had won promotion from the Championship.
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Freuler was allowed to join Bologna on loan in September 2023, as part of a swap deal that saw Argentine midfielder Nico Dominguez move to the City Ground. Freuler has become a key figure in Italy, just as Dominguez has grown in stature in Nottingham.
Forest will hope that Ndoye — who has won 22 caps for his country, scoring three goals — would have the same impact if they can strike a deal to bring another player to Nottingham from northern Italy. His ability to cope with pressure and expectation might come in handy, as Forest look to fill the void left by one of the most exciting, explosive figures to have played for the club in recent years.
In that sense, Ndoye is a long way from being the same player as Elanga, but he may be equipped to have a similar impact.
Ndoye stands out for his ability to progress the ball with driving runs on either side of the pitch and through the middle — only five Serie A players had a higher average carry distance of 8.2 yards last season. The graphic below demonstrates his habit of carrying the ball long distances up the pitch and into the penalty area.
Ndoye has played more frequently on the left side for Bologna but has regularly also operated down the right. He is capable of both, which would mirror the dynamic which often saw Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi swap flanks with Forest.
At just over 6ft (183cm), he is quite tall for a winger and is pretty direct when he gets going — only four Serie A players took more shots from fast breaks during 2024-25. His ability to move the ball quickly on the counter-attack would obviously be important when looking to replace Elanga.
Ndoye also drew the second-most fouls of any player in Europe's top five leagues last season, behind Bruno Guimaraes. He is a tricky customer with lots of pace. He likes to run at opposition defenders, but that does not just mean getting down the outside of the full-back as he likes to drift inside, too. He is also not afraid to drop into midfield, spin away and drag his team up the pitch. Ndoye generally has lots of neat touches around the penalty area as he looks to create openings for others.
And while — before last season at least — he has not been the most prolific winger in terms of goalscoring, he generally seems to strike the ball with power. Ndoye does not generally deliver a high number of crosses into the box, but his most significant attribute would be that ability to drive forwards, as Elanga was so good at doing — amid Nuno's swift, attacking football.
Born in Nyon to a Swiss mother and a Senegalese father, Ndoye joined Lausanne's under-13 team. By the age of 15, he had already played for the under-18 side. His development continued at a rapid pace and, within two years, he was a regular in the Lausanne second team, playing in the Swiss fourth division, where he scored seven goals in 21 games.
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In February 2019, Ndoye made his first-team debut, ultimately finishing the 2018-19 campaign with six goals in 15 appearances. Ndoye signed for French club Nice in 2020, but was immediately loaned back to Lausanne. A further loan spell back in Switzerland, with Basel in 2021-22, culminated in a permanent switch. During 2022-23, Ndoye played 54 times for Basel, including 19 appearances in the Conference League, scoring a total of seven goals in all competitions.
His form had scouts from different parts of Europe watching on, but it was Bologna who paid €10milllion for him in August 2023. He spoke at the time about how the Italian club had made him feel wanted. In May, Ndoye secured his place in the Bologna history books — and in the hearts of their fans — when he scored a significant goal for the club.
He showed impressive composure on the biggest stage to delay his shot until the perfect moment, following a passing move that had involved Freuler, which ended with Ndoye finding space in the penalty area to secure a 1-0 win over Milan in the final of the Coppa Italia.
Bologna, unsurprisingly, are not keen to lose a player who has seen his influence grow through his hard work and endeavour. But if his next chapter is to be at the City Ground, Forest will hope history repeats itself, with another young player continuing to fulfil his promise under Nuno in Nottingham.