After a second consecutive summer of upheaval, Nottingham Forest’s head coach, Steve Cooper, acknowledged that his squad is still “in transition.”
The good work accomplished throughout the transfer window should, however, ensure that little tinkering will be necessary in January. The Reds’ outstanding recruiting has already resulted in the foundation of a potent team.
But if there is one spot on the pitch’s top end that Forest might need to examine when the window reopens, it is there. And whatever they decide to do over the coming weeks may very well depend on those few weeks.
The season had started off well for Taiwo Awoniyi. He did look even sharper this term after losing weight during the summer.
Although he is quite effective in that area, it is also his overall contribution to games that makes him such a crucial member of Steve Cooper’s team. He can be challenging for defenses.
It’s devastating to lose him for a month due to an injury. Even if he only ends up missing a few matches, his absence leaves a big gap that needs to be replaced.
In the Reds’ final game before the break, Chris Wood was chosen to replace Awoniyi. However, despite some great play by the guests, he was unable to
Cooper did acknowledge Wood’s preparation work, which helped to set up Forest’s impressive game-winning performance. With 15 minutes remaining, he was replaced by Divock Origi, who struggled to have much of an effect as well.
Wood and Origi are distinct types of strikers to Awoniyi. Whether they can offer the necessary level of cover while the Nigerian is out is still up for debate.
Prior to Awoniyi’s injury, Cooper’s team had been having trouble scoring goals due to the fact that the team was still gelling and that new players were still catching up. However, you would bank on Awoniyi scoring 20 goals or at least coming close to it if he is able to stay healthy for the bulk of the season – something he had horrible luck with last term.
If given a run in the starting lineup, could Wood and/or Origi accomplish the same? Can Forest survive if Awoniyi is gone for an extended period of time?
Those questions may be partially answered over the course of the coming weeks. Any January window is notoriously difficult to target a forward, and it’s typically quite pricey.
