Dan Ndoye qualities highlighted that can make Swiss winger a Premier League star for Nottingham Forest & avoid £34m transfer flop tag

Competition for the 25-year-old’s signature was fierce once it became apparent that exit doors were swinging open at Serie A side Bologna. Ndoye had helped them to a memorable Coppa Italia triumph when netting the decisive goal in a final showdown with AC Milan - securing a first piece of major silverware for the Rossoblu in 51 years.

Forest ultimately fended off transfer competition to secure the talented forward on a five-year contract. It has been suggested that said agreement could be cut short after just 12 months, with form and confidence deserting Ndoye at the City Ground.

He started brightly enough, opening his goal account on the first weekend of the 2025-26 campaign against Brentford and finding the target in a historic European outing on home soil for Forest against Midtjylland on October 2.

End product has completely dried up since then, at least on the domestic front. Starting berths have been in short supply, as Ndoye has slipped down the pecking order in a campaign that has seen four different managers take charge on Trentside.

He has scored three goals through seven international appearances this season, and has been included in Switzerland's squad for the 2026 World Cup, but serious questions are being asked of whether those exploits can be replicated at club level.

Quizzed on Ndoye’s best qualities, which may yet allow him to avoid being written off as an expensive flop at Forest, fellow Swiss Senderos - speaking in association with Spreadex Sports - told GOAL: “I think he can be very good in the Premier League.

“He's good in transitions, he runs, he's a real out-and-out winger and he has the legs and the power to go past people. I think he can be good in the Premier League. At Forest, this season it's more like the overall season and how it went with the different managers from the beginning.

“It's not been really stable but I think if they find the stability, they would be able to put him in a good position. He's got a great character, he's someone that is willing to learn and adapt so, yes, I can see him having also an impact in the World Cup.”

Ndoye may look to use a major tournament in North America as a shop window, if he decides that a way out of Nottingham is required. A number of teams in Italy are already being credited with interest.

Asked if he would like to see Ndoye stay put and prove himself, with the Premier League a notoriously difficult division to settle in quickly, Senderos added: “Correct, it takes a while.

“The Premier League is ruthless and very, very competitive. I'd like to see him in the Premier League but, yes, with his power and pace, he can make a lot of damage in Italy - and he has done in his time in Bologna.”

As things stand, with Forest having fended off the threat of relegation and preserved their top-flight status, there appears to be little chance of Ndoye earning the opportunities he craves in English football.

Vitor Pereira will be looking to freshen up his ranks in the next transfer window, with added pace and trickery on the flanks forming part of that shopping list, and that could see Ndoye written off as any funds raised from sales are reinvested elsewhere by a club that continues to dream big under the guidance of enigmatic owner Evangelos Marinakis.