Bad news for Taiwo Awoniyi as Nottingham Forest drop reignite interest in striker
Bad news for Taiwo Awoniyi as Nottingham Forest drop reignite interest in striker
Taiwo Awoniyi remained a Nottingham Forest player after intense speculation about his future in January, but the latest update on Forest’s transfer plans could bring back these rumours in the summer.
Forest chose to keep hold of Awoniyi after no clear deal to sign another striker in January became available to Evangelos Marinakis, who wouldn’t have wanted to leave Nuno Espirito Santo short up front.
In truth, though, the season has been somewhat miserable for Awoniyi as, with Chris Wood breaking Forest scoring records, opportunities have been limited for the Nigerian striker.
Awoniyi picked up a knock against Exeter City in his latest chance to start which only would’ve added to his frustrations, especially given that he managed to score in that game which would’ve been a big boost to his confidence.
Even now that Espirito Santo expects Awoniyi to be fit to face Newcastle United, Wood continued his goalscoring habits in Forest’s loss against Fulham so the backup striker will have little chance of displacing the Kiwi international on Sunday, or any game if Wood continues to fire.
Such is the case, Awoniyi will have to settle for his backup role in the Forest squad for now, which could get even worse if the latest transfer update surrounding the club is anything to go by.
Nottingham Forest will reignite their interest in Yuri Alberto
A deal was never done but it was clear that Forest would’ve signed a new attacker in January if an opportunity presented itself, with Marinakis already chasing a new striker for the summer.
Forest could return for Yoane Wissa after seeing a bid rejected in January, but one name that looks to be of particular interest is Yuri Alberto, who is fresh off a 31-goal season for Corinthians.
According to Italian outlet, Calciomercato, Forest have been in contact with Alberto’s agent ahead of a potential bid in the summer, with no formal exchange with Corinthians reported as of yet.
The report revealed that Alberto’s contract with the Brazilian side contains a release clause worth £82m which is a figure that Marinakis would clearly be unwilling to offer for the unproven forward, but it was also made clear that Corinthians have set their “initial request” for Alberto at £25m.
Forest have admired Alberto for a while and he is clearly seen as the perfect alternative to Wood up front, but his parent club could well be attempting to start a bidding war with such a low asking price so Marinakis will have to approach the situation with caution.
Whether it is Alberto who comes through the doors at the City Ground or not, it would be an almighty surprise if Forest didn’t sign a new striker in the summer, leaving Awoniyi with a decision to make about his future.
Taiwo Awoniyi’s days at Forest could be numbered
When Everton registered interest in Awoniyi as the January transfer window came to a close, it seemed a distinct possibility that he had played his last match for Forest and would move on to pastures new for more game time.
However, for January at least, Espirito Santo saw Awoniyi as an important squad member and chose to keep him around at the club. This feeling would surely be different though if someone of the quality of Alberto walked through the door.
Awoniyi clearly has his qualities, with his immense power shown when he scored against Exeter but his strengths are almost too similar to Wood’s, in a way that makes his abilities shine through less as a result.
The Nigerian’s ten goals helped Forest stay in the Premier League in the first season after promotion under Steve Cooper, which even saw Alan Shearer praise Awoniyi for his ability to lead the line for Cooper’s side at the time.
But, with Wood outshining him and the potential of Alberto to come into the club, Awoniyi’s time at Forest may be up.
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