'I'm told': Alex Crook shares what he's heard about Forest star Taiwo Awoniyi and a potential new club
Yesterday at 02:00 PM
Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi has found first-team football hard to come by in 2024/25 with Chris Wood a striker in red-hot form.
Wood heaped praise on Awoniyi after the Nigerian scored his first goal for Forest this season during a 3-0 win over Wolves last Monday.
Yesterday, he was handed a starting berth as Forest despatched Luton in the FA Cup. Things didn’t quite work out for him against the Hatters and he missed a couple of chances.
Lewis McGugan has his say on Awoniyi earlier in the season. It’s proved a tough campaign for him and naturally, talks have started to surface surrounding his future at the City Ground.
Journalist delivers update on West Ham interest in Forest star Taiwo Awoniyi
The Hammers have appointed a new manager this week. Graham Potter spoke to Forest previously but now he’s the man tasked with reviving the fortunes of West Ham.
It would appear that a new centre-forward forms part of his transfer shortlist, with the Hammers desperately lacking players in the final third of the pitch at the moment.
One player who might be on his radar is Forest striker Awoniyi. TalkSPORT journalist Alex Crook believes that the Eastenders have a small interest in signing the Nigerian this month.
“I’m told that West Ham are looking for reinforcements in a few key areas. One is a new centre-forward, obviously, they’ve lost Michail Antonio, Jarrod Bowen is going to be out until February and Niclas Fullkrug is now injured too.
He said on the TalkSPORT podcast: “A new number nine, maybe someone like Evan Ferguson at Brighton is a priority and I’m told there is also a little bit of interest in Taiwo Awoniyi at Forest who obviously was their main man but it struggling a little bit now with Chris Wood proving difficult to dislodge.”
Forest should keep Awoniyi until the summer
If Forest were to cash in on Awoniyi it would leave Forest very short. Wood and the 27-year-old have shared the goalscoring mantle this season and both are capable players.
Offloading him to a team in the same division wouldn’t make a great deal of sense. Although Forest have loftier ambitions than West Ham this season, it would feel like a strange move.
Awoniyi hasn’t hit his straps yet this season. A mixture of injuries and a lack of game time have hampered his progress and ultimately he looks rusty whenever he seems to get on the pitch.
He hasn’t become a bad player though and he does still have a part to play this season. Forest have a settle squad right now and it could prove seriously detrimental if Awoniyi was to depart.
