Playing with the persona of a vagrant and the pace and agility of a wardrobe, can Ibrahim Sangaré save his career at Nottingham Forest, having made little or no impression at the club since his arrival in September of last year.
Signing a five-year contract with the Reds, worth £30 million, Sangaré joined the club from PSV Eindhoven with all the anticipation of Ronaldo joining the pointless Saudi League.
We’re not saying the Cote d’Ivoire defensive midfielder is not a talented footballer, and by no means does he lack the potential to set the Premier League alight, what I’m saying is that Ibrahim Sangaré has one season to save his career because he has been ineffectual so far.
If Sangaré happens to remain stagnated on the bench or fails to live up to some of his reputation, he could find himself out of favour for some time to come.
No matter what league you are in, nobody like expensive flops, especially the older they get.
It’s all about Ibrahim Sangaré’s Price Tag.
Only still 26, the price tag doesn’t help him. Despite having no control over what a club like Forest pays for him – it’s not his fault a club valued him at £30 million – he doesn’t look like a player worth £30 million.
Following on from the generous contributions made for the purchase of Mangala and Niakhaté, Forest can only hope that Lyon decide to continue buying Forest players and pay a substantial amount for Sangaré in 2025, if he is still struggling to adapt to the Premier League.
We also have to remember that injury and illness have thwarted his return to full fitness after the inconvenience of the AFCON tournament at the end of the year.
AFCON inconvenience.
The fact that the Ivory Coast reached the final didn’t help, keeping him and other Forest players away from the City Ground for the entire duration of the tournament. Sangaré came on as a late substitute in the Final against Nigeria which they went on to win 2-1.
Since then, Sangaré has contributed about as much to the team as the Tories did to the NHS over the last fourteen years.
We aren’t privy to the location of Sangaré’s mind right now but, if he does believe he can adapt and fit into the side, he needs to deliver this year and light a spark to save his career at Forest by becoming the brilliant player we all know he can become.
Like Murillo, Sangaré probably didn’t see himself at Forest for long and just wanted to use a ‘smaller’ Premier League club to springboard his career by showcasing his quality.
Unfortunately for Forest fans, we haven’t witnessed any quality from him but we anticipate bigger and better things to come from Ibrahim Sangaré and we wish him all the best this season.
What are the plans to save Ibrahim Sangaré’s career this season?
Where will Sangaré fit into the team this year? Can he play in a pivot or is he going to be better suited to playing as a solitary midfielder, in front of the defence and behind more creative midfielders?
Regardless of where he plays, if he does figure in Nuno’s plans for the forthcoming season, we have to get the best out of him.
Likewise, if he can deliver, it will further his career and push Forest further up the league because Sangaré has so much to offer.
The last thing we need is another Origi, and hopefully Sangaré doesn’t come back shaped like a baby Godzilla with the confidence issues of an alcoholic and a bloated pancreas.
If he stays away from a summer of KFC, Deliveroo Chow Mein and burgers, Sangaré can get valuable pre-season minutes under his belt to help him reach full fitness and rescue his career at the City Ground.
If he can’t, he’ll be playing for Accrington reserves by the time he is 30.
COYR and come on Ibrahim Sangaré!
