Nottingham Forest head into the Europa League on Wednesday at the expense of Crystal Palace, a side the Reds also beat to a long-term target in the summer.
Forest took Crystal Palace’s spot in the Europa League after the London side were adjudged to have breached UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules, due to the involvement of American John Textor in Palace and Lyon.
The decision and the lead-up to it formed a rivalry between the two fan bases, with plenty of Palace fans directing their anger at Evangelos Marinakis over the Europa League drama.
As it turns out, though, the two sides were competing in the transfer market, too, as Forest beat Palace to one of the Reds’ marquee summer signings, thanks to a multi-year scouting mission.
Nottingham Forest scouted Dilane Bakwa for two years
The majority of the business was already done, but Forest’s £35m capture of Dilane Bakwa was one of the highlights of the window on deadline day.
Bakwa had been linked with the Reds throughout the window as Forest looked to provide competition for Callum Hudson-Odoi and Dan Ndoye, but according to John Percy in The Telegraph, the Frenchman had been on the shortlist for much longer than just one summer.
The report said: “Bakwa joined from Strasbourg and the winger is another signing regarded as a major coup by the club. He has been trailed for almost two years and was the No 1 target in the position for the recruitment team.”
“Patience was required as at some stages in the window a deal appeared unlikely, with Fulham and Palace also fighting to sign him.”
Forest will have been delighted to sign Bakwa ahead of their Premier League rivals, but the Frenchman was brought in under Nuno Espírito Santo, and his early showings highlight that he needs to adapt to Ange Postecoglou’s demands.
Dilane Bakwa is still adapting to Ange Postecoglou’s system
Postecoglou said that Bakwa is still adapting to the Premier League after substituting him off after an hour in the 1-1 draw against Burnley, but truthfully, it looked as if the 23-year-old’s main issues were with the requirements of a Postecoglou winger.
With Oleksandr Zinchenko tucking in on the left, Burnley often attacked down Forest’s right flank, leaving Neco Williams potentially exposed to an overload.
Therefore, Bakwa was required defensively, something he didn’t seem comfortable with, completing no tackles or interceptions in the game.
Bakwa impressed Forest fans against Swansea in the Carabao Cup defeat, but the Burnley game highlighted that there’s still work to do to get the Frenchman fully up to speed in the Premier League.
Receive a digest of our best Nottingham Forest content each week direct to your mailbox
