Nottingham Forest’s pursuit of a striker in January has coincided with the twists and turns surrounding the future of Taiwo Awoniyi.
Nuno Espirito Santo wants to keep Awoniyi as he values him as an important member of the Forest squad, especially given that he is the only natural backup available for Chris Wood.
However, Everton have emerged as suitors for Awoniyi as the January window reaches its climax, creating tension about whether Evangelos Marinakis will sanction his departure or not.
Earlier in January it was West Ham United linked with Awoniyi as talks took place between the two clubs, but Forest’s lack of progress with signing a striker themselves slowed down any possibility of that deal taking place.
Given that Matheus Cunha is Forest’s top target heading into deadline day, any movement involving the Nigerian striker could have an impact on incoming deals, making the latest update on Awoniyi’s future particularly intriguing.
Nottingham Forest’s plan for Taiwo Awoniyi revealed
Reportedly, Awoniyi can leave Forest if a new striker is signed but with this being far from a guarantee, Graeme Bailey has exclusively told Nottingham Forest News what Marinakis has planned for the striker.
Bailey said: “As it stands, Nottingham Forest still have no plans to sell Taiwo Awoniyi this window.”
Whilst Espirito Santo’s preference to keep Awoniyi has been clear throughout January, such a strong line on his future from the club may come as a surprise given the fee they could demand for him to boost their chances of an incoming attacker to the City Ground.
Forest could reasonably ask for the £18m they paid for him back from any club interested as deadline day approaches, but the security of having a backup option for Wood at the club has evidently overwhelmed the potential gamble of cashing in on him.
Whether the Forest owner was ever tempted to sell Awoniyi will likely never be known, but Espirito Santo’s previous comments on the Nigerian should’ve left no Forest fan in doubt about his feelings towards the striker.
Nuno Espirito Santo has always trusted Taiwo Awoniyi
In the summer transfer window, Mexican striker Santiago Gimenez rejected a move to Forest, leaving many to look at the striking options at the club with a hint of doubt.
However, speaking to the BBC at the time, the Forest manager was ready to support Awoniyi and reiterate his importance to the side.
Espirito Santo said: “There was no disappointment at all [at the lack of signings], the main objective was to keep the players we wanted to keep.
“We know and trust who we have and we have solutions.” Trust has been an important word in the two’s relationship as Espirito Santo backed Awoniyi to find his form back in December, quickly followed by his goal in Forest’s win over Wolves in January.
Things can, and often do, change in football so Awoniyi’s future at the club will carry some level of doubt until the transfer window shuts. One aspect that can never be doubted, though, is Espirito Santo’s faith in his striker, which looks to have played a key role in shaping Forest’s stance on selling the Nigerian.
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