Taiwo Awoniyi remained a Nottingham Forest player despite strong speculation regarding his future in January, but the most recent update on Forest’s transfer plans may reignite these suspicions in the summer.
Forest elected to keep Awoniyi because Evangelos Marinakis was unable to find a clear deal to sign another striker in January, and he did not want to leave Nuno Espirito Santo short up front.
In reality, Awoniyi’s season has been quite unpleasant, as Chris Wood has broken Forest scoring records, leaving the Nigerian striker with few opportunities.
Awoniyi picked up a knock against Exeter City on his most recent start, which would have only added to his frustrations, especially because he scored in that game, which would have given him a huge boost in confidence.
Even though Espirito Santo anticipates Awoniyi to be fit to face Newcastle United, Wood extended his goal-scoring streak in Forest’s loss to Fulham, thus the backup striker will have little chance of replacing the Kiwi international on Sunday, or any game if Wood continues to fire.
As a result, Awoniyi will have to settle with a backup role in the Forest squad for the time being, which could grow even worse if the club’s most recent transfer report is any indication.
Nottingham Forest will renew their interest in Yuri Alberto.
A deal was never completed, but it was evident that Forest would have acquired a new attacker in January if the opportunity arose, with Marinakis already looking for a new striker this summer.
Forest could return for Yoane Wissa after an offer was rejected in January, but Yuri Alberto, who recently scored 31 goals for Corinthians, appears to be of particular interest.
According to Italian newspaper Calciomercato, Forest has been in communication with Alberto’s agency ahead of a prospective summer move, although there has been no formal exchange with Corinthians as of yet.
According to the source, Alberto’s contract with the Brazilian team includes a release clause at £82 million, which Marinakis is plainly hesitant to offer for the unproven forward, but Corinthians have set their “initial request” for Alberto at £25 million.
Forest have long admired Alberto, and he is widely seen as the ideal replacement for Wood up front. However, with such a low asking price, his parent club may be aiming to ignite a bidding war, so Marinakis must proceed with caution.
Whether Alberto walks through the City Ground doors or not, it would be a huge surprise if Forest did not recruit a new striker in the summer, leaving Awoniyi with a decision to make regarding his future.
Taiwo Awoniyi’s days at Forest might be numbered.
When Everton expressed interest in Awoniyi as the January transfer window closed, it looked likely that he had played his final match for Forest and would go on to pastures new for greater game time.
However, in January, Espirito Santo recognized Awoniyi as a vital squad member and elected to keep him at the club. This feeling would undoubtedly be different if someone of the caliber of Alberto stepped through the door.
Awoniyi definitely has his qualities, as evidenced by his enormous power when he scored against Exeter, but his strengths are almost identical to Wood’s, causing his abilities to shine through less.
The Nigerian’s ten goals helped Forest stay in the Premier League in their first season after promotion under Steve Cooper, with Alan Shearer praising Awoniyi’s ability to lead the line for Cooper’s team at the time.
However, with Wood outshining him and Alberto’s possibility to join the club, Awoniyi’s time at Forest may be up.
