If Nottingham Forest get to call themselves a Champions League football club next season, the writing will undoubtedly be on the wall for a number of current stars.
There comes a point when certain players outgrow certain clubs and for some of the Forest players, that is starting to take shape as the 2024/25 campaign draws to a close.
If the Reds have learned anything under Nuno Espirito Santo, it’s that success can be obtained with a much smaller playing squad and quality takes preference over quantity.
Forest have used the fewest number of players in the league this season but injuries are starting to stack up as the Reds turn towards the home straight.
Chris Wood and Ola Aina missed the trip to Villa Park on Saturday, with an injury doubt now surrounding Anthony Elanga ahead of next weekend’s clash against Everton on Trentside.
Taiwo Awoniyi also missed the game at Villa Park at the weekend and one high-profile Forest fan believes his card might be marked in the summer.
Darren Fletcher urges Nottingham Forest to sell Taiwo Awoniyi
Awoniyi has been struggling for game time this season and just one game into replacing Wood, he’s been struck down with an injury of his own.
The 27-year-old didn’t play too badly against Manchester United in midweek but it does feel as though his confidence has been knocked with not being the number one striker.
TNT Sports commentator Darren Fletcher believes that the summer will represent the perfect time for the Reds to cut their ties with Awoniyi.
He said on the Forest Focus podcast: “I think in terms of Taiwo, he’s done everything that Forest needed to do. They needed him to be part of the first two seasons and stay in the Premier League but as the team gets better, the players need to get better.
“One thing you can’t rely on with Awoniyi is his fitness, which is always an issue. I think net season, stepping up and being a European team, there’s got to be more quality coming into that position.
“So, I think the summer is the perfect time to say thank you, he’ll always have his place in the heart of Forest supporters, you can never fault his commitment, his desire or his ambition and his determination but I just think they’ve got to find a way to get better at the top end of the pitch.
“That means they’ve got to sign someone and I don’t think they’ll carry Taiwo as well and to be honest, there’s been a real drop off this season when he’s been on the pitch as opposed to Chris Wood, just in terms of how the team plays in the final third.”
Fletcher has hit the nail on the head when it comes to Awoniyi
His words might sound somewhat harsh, considering there are still seven games left to play but this was supposed to be his time to shine and now he’s injured all over again.
No player ever asks to be injured, of course, but ultimately, the player has become unreliable in that sense and as a result, selling him looks like the only option this summer.
Awoniyi has served a purpose to Forest and at just £17 million, he’s proved to be worth his weight in gold when it comes to scoring goals in the Premier League during the first two years to keep the team in the division.
Forest have simply outgrown Awoniyi and the challenge for Ross Wilson and George Syrianos is to identify a new striker who can come in and make an impact domestically and in Europe next season.
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