Josh Bowler departed Blackpool in the summer, signing for Nottingham Forest with the winger looking to make the next step up in his career. 

Bowler was a revelation for Blackpool last season becoming a key component as the Tangerines looked to solidify their place in the Championship. The winger helped them do exactly that and his form drew plenty of plaudits and interest from other clubs.

Bowler arrived on a free transfer from QPR in the summer of 2021, initially signing a one-year deal with an option to extend. This meant his contract was due to expire this coming summer, prompting the need for the Tangerines to sell while his value was at its highest.

He was eventually picked up by Nottingham Forest for a reported figure of £4m, where he was then allowed to leave on loan to their sister club Olympiakos, a move many wouldn't have expected.

Here, we’ve examined whether he’s kicked on since leaving Bloomfield Road.

 

 

Bowler was Forest's 20th summer signing as they looked to build a squad capable of staying in the Premier League. His move was completed on deadline day was immediately sent on loan to Greek giants Olympiakos.

He initially started brightly under then-manager Carlos Corberan, before seemingly fading out of the first team picture. But Corberan was axed after just 11 games in charge, leading to the return of former manager Michel Gonzalez who is yet to hand Bowler a minute of first-team action.

Bowler has seemingly found the step up to Olympiakos difficult. In the first seven games of the season for Blackpool, he averaged three dribbles per game, a hallmark in Bowler's game, that's down to 0.7 for Olympiakos according to WhoScored.

To make the situation more diffcult for Bowler, he's only allowed to play for either Blackpool or Olympiakos for the rest of the season, as FIFA rules stipulate players only being allowed to play for two teams in one season.

This means any other move other than to Blackpool to get game time is off, leaving his options limited.

Blackpool had to sell Bowler to maximise the fee they received for a player who's contract was running down and Bowler couldn't turn down the chance to play top flight football, so you can't help but feel for him after this disastrous move.

It's perhaps poor from Nottingham Forest as well, to not forward plan or recognise the ruling restricting Bowler to two teams this season. He's a talented player that needs game time considering his career never really got going until last season with Blackpool.