According to Nottingham Post, Nottingham Forest are interested in signing Bakary Sako on a free transfer. The Mali international is a free agent after seeing out his contract at Crystal Palace. To sign him, Forest must see off interest from fellow Championship side West Bromwich Albion to land the 30-year-old (h/t Nottingham Post).
Manager Aitor Karanka has one of the most exciting squads in the second tier of English football. However, despite making 16 signings in the summer, Nottingham Forest have failed to hit the ground running. After the first international break of the season, the Reds sit 15th after seven games.
Bakary Sako: The perfect fit for Nottingham Forest
Bakary Sako is primarily deployed as a left-winger but he can also play as a secondary striker and as a right-winger. Forest definitely need another striker as Lewis Grabban has struggled to adapt to life at his new club. The six-foot-tall Sako could help take some pressure off Daryl Murphy.
Sidelined by an ankle injury last season, Bakary Sako scored six goals in 19 appearances across all competitions. The 30-year-old still has gas left in the tank and joining on a free transfer would represent a low-risk investment.
The former Wolverhampton Wanderers and Palace attacking midfielder is a good dribbler. He can take long shots and is excellent at set-pieces. He has scored an impressive 72 goals in 364 career appearances.
Bakary Sako has previous Championship experience as well; in fact, he enjoyed his personal best seasons in this division at the Molineux. He played over 70 matches for Wolves across two seasons, scoring 24 goals. He failed to reach the same heights in the Premier League, however, scoring only five goals across three seasons. The previous campaign was perhaps his best in the top-flight before he picked the injury against West Ham United in January.
The Reds did well to eliminate Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup. However, Forest have only managed a single win, with five draws and a loss in their opening seven games. Karanka’s side are alarmingly behind leaders Leeds United and Middlesbrough.
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If the City Ground side are to genuinely challenge for promotion, they must start scoring goals and winning games. Sako could provide goals and assists and win second balls upfield.
Hence, Nottingham Forest must go all out to land their man. His big money move to Crystal Palace might have faltered but signing Bakary Sako on a free is a no-brainer for Karanka.
