Gil Dias: The man to take Nottingham Forest to the Premier League

Add as preferred source on Google

Nottingham Forest boss Aitor Karanka has been mightily busy during the summer transfer window and the Spaniard seems in no mood to be messing around when it comes to leading the Reds to the Premier League.

Karanka has overseen no fewer than 11 new signings into the club this summer and his squad looks to be extremely strong ahead of the forthcoming 2018/19 campaign which gets underway this Saturday when Forest travel to Bristol City.

The Reds have had a barren time of things in recent years and with the feelgood factor back in place at the City Ground away from the football pitch, Karanka will hope to bring some cheer for the club’s supporters on the pitch during the upcoming season.

One man who has looked an exciting addition to the Forest squad this summer is Gil Dias, with the Portuguese forward joining the Reds on a season-long loan from French giants Monaco.

Dias has looked the real deal in pre-season, but could he propel Forest into the higher echelons of the Championship?

Who is he?

Gil Bastião Dias is a 21-year-old Portuguese forward who arrives in the East Midlands from Ligue 1 side Monaco and boasts a massive reputation as a star of the future.

Dias began his career with Braga but was soon snapped up by Monaco as a mere 18-year-old, scoring nine goals in his first season with the club’s ‘B’ team.

He has struggled to force his way into the reckoning with the French club and in recent years he has spent time on loan with Varzim, Rio Ave and last season with Fiorentina where he scored twice in 27 appearances.

So, how has he ended up in the Championship with Nottingham Forest?

Well to be honest that remains a mystery, particularly with some Forest fans who have already been mesmerised with the youngster’s displays in pre-season for the Reds.

Dias scored a magnificent maiden goal for the club in a friendly with Malaga and followed that up with a superb solo goal in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Bournemouth, leaving the Forest fans purring with delight.

The Monaco man arriving at the City Ground is a sign of just how good of a relationship the club has had with agent Jorge Mendes this summer and Forest have taken full advantage of Monaco’s willingness to offload such a talented performer.

What can Forest fans who perhaps haven’t seen him in action just yet expect from Dias?

The 21-year-old boasts the versatility to play in any attacking position whether it be out wide, or through the middle as an out-and-out striker or in the number ten role.

Dias has pace to burn and it was clearly evident in Forest’s win over Bournemouth that he loves to take players on. Cherries’ full-back Charlie Daniels, in particular, will be extremely glad to know that he doesn’t have to cross Dias in the league this season after he was royally destroyed by the Reds’ new recruit.

One thing that might also please those of a Forest persuasion is that Dias isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty and tracks back admirably well.

Forest have signed three Portuguese players this summer, so why will it be Dias that will stand out?

Quite simply, he is more experienced than both João Carvalho and Diogo Gonçalves and although those two will be good additions to the Forest squad, Dias is more about the here and now for boss Aitor Karanka.

Forest spent a record fee on Carvalho so he will still be expected to do great things this season, but in Dias they have a player who played close to 30 times for the team that finished 8th in Serie A last season, and not too many Championship clubs can boast that level of quality.

All sounds good, surely he has some weaknesses to his game?

You could say that his lack of Championship experience is one major weakness to Nottingham Forest persisting in signing Dias ahead of the new campaign.

Forest’s rivals will hope that his pre-season form is merely a flash in the pan and that he will fade away into hiding once the grind of the Championship gets underway.

Finally, why out of all of Forest’s new signings is Dias the man to lead the club to the Premier League

Forest struggled for goals last season – the top scorer was Kieran Dowell with nine – and Aitor Karanka has identified a need to add goals from all of the park to his squad.

Dias seems like a man who fancies scoring a goal every single time he takes to a football pitch and that can only bode well for the Reds during the 2018/19 campaign.

It is vital that the new arrivals step up the challenge of being part of a team desperate to return to the top flight for the first time in over 20 years and Dias looks like a player who already seems too good to be playing in the second tier.