Dan Ndoye will need to break a goalscoring curse when Nottingham Forest face Brentford

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Nottingham Forest will be excited to see Dan Ndoye in competitive action in Sunday’s Premier League opener, but the Swiss star has an unwelcome record to break first.

Ndoye signed for Forest as the natural replacement for Anthony Elanga, beating Napoli in the race to sign the winger in the process.

After acclimatising to his new surroundings, Ndoye has impressed Forest fans in pre-season despite not getting on the scoresheet, albeit not being the only attacker struggling in that department.

He’ll be looking to hit the ground running at the City Ground on Sunday, then, but his career suggests that Ndoye may have a slower start in the Premier League than desired.

Dan Ndoye has a history of slow goalscoring starts

Ndoye is excited to play with Morgan Gibbs-White at Forest and the two could link up for plenty of goals this season, but maybe not immediately.

In fact, despite showing regular improvement throughout his career, Ndoye has only once opened his goalscoring account in the first month of a league season.

Other than the exception of the 22/23 season with Basel, Ndoye has always had a slow start to his league seasons, with the campaigns in top European leagues a particular concern.

Of course, Ndoye has been steadily improving as a player and is coming off his most productive season to date, but the evidence suggests that Nuno Espírito Santo may have to wait to see the best of his new star winger.

If Ndoye does struggle early on, it will only emphasise Nuno’s pre-season demand for stronger depth, with other members of the squad required to step up.

Nottingham Forest will have options if Dan Ndoye struggles

Espírito Santo wants stronger options from the bench, which is exactly what would be required to support a player like Ndoye having a slow start to the season. Thankfully, the alternatives are looking more promising already.

Firstly, Forest have the option of playing another striker after Igor Jesus signed from Botafogo, who could also occupy a wide role if required.

Perhaps more excitingly, Forest are closing in on a deal for James McAtee before the Brentford game, who can also play out on the right, offering a completely different style of attacker if a game doesn’t suit Ndoye.

With Forest still in the market for another winger, the squad should be set up to relieve pressure on the likes of Ndoye, who can simply come out of the firing line if he needs a break or another player is in form.