Tactical Breakdown: How Ndoye Will Fit In At Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest have secured the signing of Dan Ndoye from Bologna in a deal worth €40m plus €5m in add-ons.

The winger has signed a five-year contract with an option of extending it for another year, and the deal includes a 10% sell-on clause.

Ndoye undertook and passed his medical on Tuesday after arriving in Nottingham to close out the deal.

How will the Swiss international replace Anthony Elanga's productivity for the Premier League team?

Player Strengths

The former OGC Nice man is very comfortable on the ball, with quick dribbles allowing him to turn out of tight spaces due to his low-centre of gravity - a rarity for someone 6ft tall.

Feels like im watching neymar #NFFC pic.twitter.com/2h9FlERUcF

— FORESTXTRA (@FORESTXXTRA) July 28, 2025

He is also an intense presser of defenders, which given he has filled in at wing-back on the occasion throughout his career, may be something he has picked up along the way.

Furthermore, Ndoye registered the third-fastest speed at Euro 2024 with Swizterland, with a top speed of 22.1 mph behind only Valentin Mihaila and Benjamin Sesko - Still, this is slower than Elanga's top speed recorded in the Premier League of 22.3 mph.

The Swiss forward is incredibly versatile, being able to play on both wings despite being primarily right-footed as his weak foot is adequate enough for him to drift onto either side, as his heat map below proves.

The 24-year-old, on top of his pressing ability, enjoys his defensive responsibilities as he frequently tracks back into defensive positions to help cover the full-back on his flank - Something Elanga didn't do as you can see by the heatmap comparison.

Ndoye's finishing, passing and crossing ability is also strong - In general, he is a very good all-round winger.

Hugely excited by the pending arrival of Dan Ndoye.

Big boots to fill given Elanga’s departure, but could prove to be yet another excellent buy from Serie A 🇨🇭#NFFC pic.twitter.com/njsc9mBU7C

— Ethan Lamb (@ethanlamb01) July 29, 2025

Player Weaknesses

In general, nothing stands out as a weakness in his play.

However, whilst his ability to score and create goals may be good, his tally is far from that of Elanga.

In 79 appearances across two seasons in Italy, Ndoye only notched 12 goals and 11 assists - including failure to register any G/A in eight UEFA Champions League games in the season just finished when it really mattered.

Whereas, the Swede got six goals and 12 assists alone in just the 24/25 season with Nottingham Forest, whilst competing in what most consider to be a much harder league to play in.

Also, whilst he is silky-smooth on the ball, industrially he has only a 39% dribble success rate, which is 20% below that of Callum Hudson-Odoi.

How Will He Play Under Nuno?

During the second half of the most recent pre-season friendly against Fulham, Nuno fielded Hudson-Odoi as a right-winger, opposite to where he is used to playing.

Perhaps, this may have been done with Ndoye in mind as the manager could favour the Swiss to be the one to play on the left once he plays.

Nuno has also dabbled with a five-at-the-back before, which the arrival of the player would allow for given that he has limited experience there - Ola Aina, for example, suits a wing-back role best and could play either on the left or right of a five in defense, depending on where Ndoye's versatility would allow for.

As Nottingham Forest had the lowest average possession percentage plus the fewest total passes (12956) in the whole of the league last season, they like to defend in a low block and absorb pressure before hitting their opponents with a devastating counter attack.

The Swiss man's ability to work his socks off to track back and then use dribbling to squeeze out of danger and progress up the pitch will only work to benefit the team on the counter, along with his electric pace.

In any case, expect him to start as a right-winger with Hudson-Odoi on the left, although this could change down to personal preference.