Nottingham Forest face key transfer call as West Ham interest sparks Taiwo Awoniyi debate
Nuno Espirito Santo’s response was an unequivocal one when he was quizzed on the form of Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi.
“Yes, absolutely,” was the Portuguese’s reply when asked whether the Nigeria international is capable of getting back to his best. Whether that will be in a Forest shirt, though, is perhaps the more pertinent question.
Awoniyi is on West Ham United’s radar heading into the final fortnight of the January transfer window. The Reds would not even consider letting him go without securing additional firepower of their own first, but the speculation has nevertheless led to plenty of debate about the 27-year-old’s future.
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On his day, Awoniyi is capable of being a thorn in the side of defenders. He can bully them and cause them all sorts of problems. And he can score goals, plenty of them.
His first season at the City Ground saw the front man bag 11 as he played a key role in Forest avoiding an immediate return to the Championship. Back then, it seemed there was no reason why he could not improve on that tally with an injury-free campaign.
Absence continued to hinder him last term but he still found the back of the next six times. Missing a chunk of pre-season last summer seems to have hit him hard, though. Nuno said at the time it would be an important period for Awoniyi, and not being able to make the most of it seems to have had an impact.
He has been playing catch-up ever since in terms of his fitness and sharpness. His confidence then took a blow with a bad penalty miss in the Carabao Cup shootout defeat to Newcastle United back in August.
When his first goal of the campaign finally came against Wolverhampton Wanderers earlier this month, the hope was it would give the former Union Berlin man a much-needed boost and he could kick on. He started against Luton Town in the FA Cup but was then back on the bench for the Premier League clash with Liverpool in midweek.
Minutes are the big problem for Awoniyi. He is not getting a consistent run, and there is little chance of him getting past Chris Wood in the pecking order any time soon.
Weighing up whether to let him go - should the Hammers’ interest develop - is not an easy decision, though. Nuno was clear in his pre-match press conference that he still believes Awoniyi, who is under contract until 2027, can have a part to play. And as the Reds head coach pointed out, the forward has already shown what he can do. There is no question about the important role he has played in the past.
Nevertheless, Forest really could do with getting another striker in before the February 3 deadline. Wood needs more support and, even if Nuno is certain he will get there, Awoniyi still seems some way off being back to his best.
It would be foolish to completely write Awoniyi off, though. As the Reds look to maintain their lofty position in the table, there is a big call to be made over the Nigerian’s future. It is not necessarily an easy one to make.
