Dilane Bakwa returned to French football in August 2026 when LOSC signed him on a season-long loan from Nottingham Forest. The move followed one season in England and brought him back to Ligue 1, where he had previously developed into a productive attacking player with Strasbourg.
His path to Lille began much earlier at Bordeaux, where he progressed from the academy to senior football before establishing himself during the club’s 2022–23 Ligue 2 campaign. Two productive seasons at Strasbourg then led to his transfer to Nottingham Forest in September 2025. Bakwa has described both his move to England and his return to France as important stages in his development.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Birthplace | Créteil, France |
| Youth development | FC Boissy, Lusitanos Saint-Maur, Bordeaux |
| Senior clubs | Bordeaux, Strasbourg, Nottingham Forest, LOSC |
| France youth teams | U16, U17 and U21 |
| Current playing club | LOSC, on loan from Nottingham Forest |
Bakwa Developed at Bordeaux Before Becoming a First-Team Regular
Bakwa joined Bordeaux’s academy in 2015 after earlier youth spells with FC Boissy and Lusitanos Saint-Maur. Bordeaux moved him onto professional terms while he was still 16, announcing his first professional contract on 28 May 2019.
His senior debut chronology requires some clarification because Bordeaux’s own records later became inconsistent. An earlier club archive and contemporary match reporting place his Ligue 1 debut against Nice on 27 September 2020, when he came on as a substitute in a 0-0 draw. A later Bordeaux article instead referred to a May 2022 match against Brest as his first Ligue 1 appearance, but the stronger contemporaneous evidence supports the 2020 record.
Bordeaux extended his contract in January 2022, and the following season became the clearest turning point in his first-team career. During the 2022–23 Ligue 2 season, he made 36 league appearances, scoring five goals and providing eight assists. He also appeared three times in the Coupe de France.
That season gave him the regular playing time he had been seeking. In a January 2023 club interview, Bakwa said starting consistently helped him express himself and credited his coach’s trust. He also acknowledged that opponents were studying his game more closely, which meant he needed to expand the range of attacking solutions he could offer.
Strasbourg Turned His Breakthrough Into Two Productive Ligue 1 Seasons
Bakwa left Bordeaux for Strasbourg on 8 August 2023 and signed a four-year contract. The move returned him to Ligue 1 after a season spent developing as a regular starter in the second tier.
His first Strasbourg campaign produced five goals and nine assists across 35 matches in all competitions. He followed that with six goals and nine assists across 31 matches in 2024–25. Those figures gave him two consecutive seasons of meaningful attacking production before his move to England.
His international development continued during the same period. French Football Federation records show that Bakwa had previously represented France at U16 and U17 level before progressing to the U21 side.
He made his first listed France U21 appearance against Slovenia on 6 September 2024, starting the 1-1 qualifier and playing 70 minutes. His recorded U21 total reached six appearances, including two starts. He was later withdrawn before the 2025 European Under-21 Championship because of injury.
Nottingham Forest Became His First Move Outside French Football
Nottingham Forest signed Bakwa from Strasbourg on 1 September 2025, giving him his first club experience outside France. Forest later announced that Bakwa had agreed to a five-year deal.
Nottingham Forest did not reveal the financial terms of the transfer. L’Équipe reported a fixed figure of about €35 million. In comparison, BBC Sport described the deal as worth more than £30 million, so the financial terms remain reported figures rather than an official club valuation.
Bakwa explained his decision in an official Forest interview several days after signing. He said the club’s history and sporting project played a major part in attracting him and described the move as an important stage in his career. He also described his game as built on dribbling, attacking space behind defenders, and scoring and creating chances for teammates.
Nottingham Forest did not reveal the financial terms of the transfer. According to L’Équipe, he finished the campaign with no goals and two assists. Those numbers differed from the attacking returns he had produced across his two Strasbourg seasons, but the season also gave him experience in a new league and playing environment.
Bakwa Said English Football Added a Different Dimension to His Development
After returning to France in 2026, Bakwa spoke directly about what he had encountered in England. He described English football as more direct and, in his view, more intense than Ligue 1, while also emphasizing the quality of the French league.
That experience fitted into a broader development approach he had already discussed earlier in his career. During his Bordeaux breakthrough, he spoke about adapting once opponents began paying greater attention to his strengths and said he needed more ways to influence matches.
Interview material attributed to a 2025 Onze Mondial conversation also described video analysis and honest self-assessment as part of his routine. Bakwa explained that he studies disappointing performances and pays attention to feedback he considers useful. The same material reported that he had previously worked with a mental-performance coach to help with pressure and concentration early in his career.
Girondins4Ever reproduced the comments from the attributed Onze Mondial interview, rather than from a directly accessible original interview. Bakwa’s directly available club interviews separately document his focus on adapting and improving his game.
LOSC Offered the Playing Time and Progression He Wanted in 2026
LOSC announced Bakwa’s arrival on 26 August 2026, the day he turned 24. The move was structured as a season-long loan from Nottingham Forest.
Bakwa said he had received several proposals but believed Lille offered the project that best matched what he wanted at that stage of his career. He specifically referred to playing, gaining experience and continuing to progress. He did not identify the other clubs involved, so those alternatives remain unspecified.
European competition was another part of the appeal. Bakwa said playing in the Champions League had long been one of his ambitions, giving the Lille move a dimension beyond simply returning to Ligue 1.
The transfer did not end his Nottingham Forest contract. Forest had signed him to a five-year deal in September 2025, while LOSC acquired him only on loan for the 2026–27 season. L’équipe reported that the loan did not include a purchase option, although Lille did not state that condition in its public announcement.
His Lille Start Quickly Produced a Goal and Champions League Minutes
Bakwa made an immediate contribution after joining Lille. On 28 August 2026, only two days after the loan was announced, he came off the bench against Paris Saint-Germain and scored in the 85th minute of a 2-2 Ligue 1 draw.
His move also delivered the European opportunity he had discussed when signing. On 8 September 2026, he appeared as a substitute against Real Betis in the Champions League league phase.
As of 18 September 2026, Lille’s official player profile listed four appearances, 167 minutes, one goal and one assist across the competitions shown. Those figures represented only the opening weeks of his loan and were therefore an early snapshot rather than a complete measure of the season.
His early LOSC spell therefore combined an immediate Ligue 1 contribution with the Champions League opportunity he had identified as a career ambition. Nottingham Forest remained his parent club under the season-long loan arrangement.