Nottingham Forest defender Moussa Niakhate has compared Josh Bowler to Arjen Robben on Instagram. The Reds winger joined Cardiff City on loan yesterday and he’s still yet to appear for the Reds in competitive action.
Bowler signed for the club in August 2022. He was immediately loaned out to Olympiacos and at the halfway point of last season, he re-joined Blackpool where he also failed to sparkle.
The 24-year-old now has another chance to shine out on loan. This time, he’s joined Cardiff and he will be in contention to play for them against Leeds United this weekend.
Bowler simply needs to play regular games. He should get the chance to do that in Wales and he will hope to throw himself in the shop window ahead of a permanent move away from Forest.
The youngster has done some of the pre-season with Forest. He went on the training camp to Spain and was snapped in some of the videos and pictures from the training sessions.
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It would appear that he made quite the impression on Niakhate during pre-season. The Senegal defender took to Instagram after his move to Cardiff and called in Arjen Robben in a tongue-in-cheek fashion.
He posted on his Instagram: “All the best bro #ArjenRobben” and followed it with a flame emoji. Alex Mighten and Jonathan Panzo also wished him all the best following his move.
Niakhate compares Forest man Bowler to Arjen Robben
Forest will be missing Niakhate for the start of the campaign. After missing seven months of 2022/23, he dislocated his elbow against Valencia out in Spain and will now be out for another couple of months.
This is a nice touch on Bowler’s post on Instagram, however. Clearly, the winger made an impression on his teammates, even if he couldn’t convince Steve Cooper of his quality to play in the Premier League.
At 24, the Reds player could earn a chance to star in the top flight for Forest. However, it seems more likely that Bowler will hope to shine at Cardiff and earn a move away from the City Ground.
It seems clear that Bowler is popular among the Forest squad given Niakhate’s comments. Hopefully, he does well at Cardiff, with the player seemingly a really good personality to have around a dressing room.