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Dilane Bakwa is turning heads away from Nottingham Forest, he should be recalled soon
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- Dilane Bakwa is turning heads away from Nottingham Forest, he should be recalled soon
Nottingham Forest supporters will be eager to know exactly how Dilane Bakwa's loan spell away from the City Ground is going.
Signing on a deal worth more than £30million from Strasbourg in the summer of 2025, the 24-year-old arrived with plenty of expectation.
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With 12 goals and 19 assists in 71 games in Ligue 1, he was expected to make a splash in the East Midlands, but it has been far from that.
Games have been hard to come by for the winger-turned-wing-back, with Bakwa eventually being loaned out to Lille for the 2026-27 season.
The 24-year-old loanee has already made a bright start, bagging two goals and one assist in his first six games, taking Lille to second in the Ligue 1 table.
It is important not to get carried about by goal contributions over in France, but there should be every hope that he can translate this form back to the City Ground.
Dilane Bakwa continues to impress away from Nottingham Forest
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In his latest display, Bakwa scored the only goal in Lille's 1-0 win over Le Havre on Saturday, 10 October, firing home after five minutes.
But his performance was so much more than just the match-winning goal. He was an absolute nuisance all game, causing huge problems for the opposition.
In 90 minutes, Bakwa created one big chance, attempted two dribbles, made six line-breaking passes, and of course, scored.
Despite playing further forward, he also made six tackles and six recoveries, dived into 23 ground duels, committed five fouls and won two of his own.
That is definitely the kind of player that Oliver Glasner could use in his team right now, but he'll have to wait to introduce him next season.
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Right now, Neco Williams and Daniel Munoz are occupying the wing-back roles in Glasner's back-five formation at the City Ground.
Neither have been particularly impressive in 2026-27, and the Welshman would appear to be struggling with the slight position change.
Luckily for Glasner, Bakwa is capable of playing on either flank, and given his attacking nature, he would be perfect for Forest from next season.
Of course, the manager needs to make it that far, and with Evangelos Marinakis in charge, nothing is ever certain. But he should be given time to turn things around.
