Nottingham Forest will naturally enter the transfer market during the summer and the club must get it right.
Last season 16 players were added in an approach which hasn’t been overly successful.
Quality over quantity must be the order of the day for Chris Hughton as he aims to get Forest challenging at the right end of the Championship.
Goals have been far too infrequent during 2020/21. The Reds have mustered just 34 in the league and that simply won’t do.
Lewis Grabban has struggled with injuries, Lyle Taylor hasn’t really had many chances during the second half of the season and Glenn Murray has had little impact.
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As a result, a striker must be identified during the summer and Forest must ensure they get their business spot on.
Plenty of supporters on Twitter have been discussing a potential return for Britt Assombalonga.
Quite simply, Forest have to steer well clear of sentiment and avoid a move for the former Reds star.
Assombalonga left the Reds for Middlesbrough in 2017. He basically implied that Boro were in a better place to win promotion and opted to jump ship.
That alone would be enough to make Assombalonga lie in his bed but there are other factors that make him an unattractive signing too.
During 2020/21 he’s found the net just five times from 31 appearances and has failed to score since notching against Forest in January.
After that game, Neil Warnock alluded to the fact that Assombalonga’s form was sporadic and he needed to see his very best more often.
Cons outweigh the pros
The Congolese striker didn’t just leave Forest with Premier League aspirations. He also left to collect a considerable increase in salary.
He pockets £35,000-a-week at the Riverside Stadium and it’s little surprise that Warnock isn’t in a rush to hand him a new deal.
Assombalonga has scored 47 times in 160 appearances for Boro. At Forest he fired 30 times from 69 outings.
At 28 the striker should be in the peak of his powers but during the current campaign his progress stalled and if anything he’s regressed as a player.
Assombalonga scored some memorable goals on Trentside – and loved scoring against Derby.
He would be available for free in the summer but the cons outweigh the pros considerably.
The striker should be lauded for his efforts several years ago at the City Ground.
Forest have to think about the here and now and with regards to Assombalonga sentiment must be avoided in the search for a new striker.