Nottingham Forest tried tooth and nail to get a striker to the City Ground during the summer transfer window.
The attempts ended in vain though, with Chris Wood and Taiwo Awoniyi the two players that Nuno Espirito Santo has been forced to go with in attack.
Santiago Gimenez was linked with Forest but it was claimed that he rejected the club on no fewer than three occasions.
Then there was Eddie Nketiah who told Forest no after a chat with Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner before the season got underway.
A loose link emerged with Forest wanting Omar Marmoush but in reality, he always looked set for bigger things.
It’s clear that Forest are still wanting a new striker – and some of the links for January suggest as much.
Yuri Alberto is one player Forest have been linked with and he could be the sort of striker that the Reds choose to move for in January.
For now, however, there is nothing that anyone can do and it’s important that Awoniyi gets the same level of backing as Wood.
Taiwo Awoniyi of Nottingham Forest goes down on the floor whilst battling for possession with Gabriel of Arsenal during the Premier League match be...
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Fans must lay off Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi
It wasn’t long back that the Forest fan base saw Awoniyi as the messiah and without him the consensus was that the Reds wouldn’t score goals.
Now, the roles have been reversed with some fans claiming that Awoniyi is finished – much like the same people did when the Reds signed Chris Wood in January 2023.
Wood is the man in the goals right now. He’s scored eight times in 11 starts and he’s one of the top goalscorers in the Premier League.
Because of his brilliance, Awoniyi hasn’t really been able to get a look in and after a number of injuries, he’s struggling for sharpness.
That doesn’t make him a bad player though. Furthermore, it’s not like Awoniyi has never come up trumps for Forest since his £18 million switch from Union Berlin.
With the Nigerian, Forest would have almost certainly been relegated at the end of the 2022/23 campaign.
His form at the end of that season was remarkable and he finished that season with 11 goals to his name – a steady return in a struggling side during a maiden campaign in England.
Forest fans can’t slip back into their old ways. Right now, Awoniyi is struggling with a confidence crisis but with the right level of backing, the striker can soon be back on the goal trail.
Awoniyi vs Arsenal in numbers
The fan consensus at the weekend as Awoniyi started against Arsenal was somewhat bipolar with some believing he was finished and others feeling he did okay despite feeding on scraps.
Awoniyi did alright – and the statistics prove it.
Who Scored shows that the three aerial challenges won by Awoniyi were the most of any Forest player – including both central defenders.
He only had 22 touches of the ball which suggests he was feeding on scraps and was often forced to drop deep to get involved in the play.
Awoniyi also made a tackle during his 62 minutes on the pitch as well as a clearance to help out defensively.
He was also the only Forest player during the 90 minutes to actually attempt to play a single through ball.
Ultimately, against Arsenal, the Reds were always up against it, and perhaps one positive was that Awoniyi now has more minutes in the legs and is ready for a tough run of games.
It’s doing absolutely nobody any favours by constantly bashing Awoniyi whenever he plays and perhaps it’s worth remembering everything he’s achieved during his time at the football club.
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