Steve Cooper could be set to emulate one of the signings of the summer.
Nottingham Forest could pull off one of the coups of the summer, should reports be believed linking with to a true midfield destroyer…
Are Nottingham Forest signing Ibrahim Sangare?
Whilst this window has been dominated by the £105m Arsenal signing of Declan Rice, many of the smaller outfits have been working in the shadows to pry deals of that calibre without the huge fiscal burden that they often demand.
Especially those lower down the Premier League, who are so often hamstrung by FFP whilst the larger clubs are allowed to thrive.
However, that has not stopped Steve Cooper’s talent ID, as they were linked just last week via reports in the Netherlands with a move for PSV Eindhoven enforcer Ibrahim Sangare.
Whilst his €37.5m (£32m) price tag might seem somewhat unattainable for a side that only avoided the drop late on last season, it is this kind of financial risk that could take them to the next level, to one day challenge alongside the free-spending Gunners.
How good is Ibrahim Sangare?
Placing the Ivorian powerhouse at the base of their midfield would immediately upgrade their engine room, not only offering defensive security to the backline but also a touch of quality that will see the ball progress with more finesse from deep.
In fact, the 25-year-old star boasts plenty of similarities with Rice, despite the huge disparity in their price tags.
The England international is famed for his ability to break up play and turn defence into attack in an instant. As such, last season in the league saw him post six goal contributions, one key pass and 2.1 tackles per game, via Sofascore.
Such figures were closely emulated in the Eredivisie last term by Sangare too, who recorded six goal contributions too alongside 0.9. key passes and 2.3 tackles per game, via Sofascore. His 7.24 average rating would have made him Forest’s best-performing player by some distance in the league last year.
Adding this shared quality with their mirrored physical frames, as they stand at 6 foot 1 and 6 foot 3 respectively, and there is precedent to assume that the PSV star will become a star under Cooper in no time at all.
Football analyst Aad de Mos sought to emphasise his skillset, as he spoke to Voetbal 4U about his touted move to Leicester City back in April: “Ibrahim Sangaré is better on one leg than Leicester’s midfield.
“He is extraordinary; this season, he has been the king of PSV. You only miss Sangeré when he’s not playing. You need someone like that, who picks up a ball and is always in between things with the point of his shoe. And lately he’s also been getting dangerous towards the opponent’s goal.”
In fact, FBref serves to suggest that the Ivory Coast international is actually one of the best in his position on the continent, as when compared against midfielders across Europe he sits in the top 8% for non-penalty goals per 90, the top 9% for progressive passes per 90, the top 13% for successful take-ons per 90 and the top 18% for tackles per 90.
There truly is nothing that the midfield monster cannot do, and if he was to quickly translate that skillset into the Premier League, he would swiftly start to dominate English football and likely command a fee akin to the former West Ham United man he could well emulate.
