Taiwo Awoniyi is back fit and featuring for Nottingham Forest after his horror injury last season, but Reds fans aren’t convinced he has a future at the club.
Awoniyi returned for pre-season in great shape which was positive to see for all involved with the club, after his career briefly looked in danger of ending last season.
After colliding with the goalpost against Leicester City in April, Awoniyi was placed in a medically induced coma as a result of rupturing his intestine.
Therefore, seeing him back on the pitch has been one of the highlights of pre-season, but his actual performance against Estoril left a lot to be desired.
Nottingham Forest fans slam Taiwo Awoniyi performance
Forest have only scored one goal so far in four pre-season friendlies, with Chris Wood heading home in the 3-1 defeat to Fulham.
Awoniyi isn’t the only one struggling, then, but Reds fans took to social media during the Estoril game to suggest that the Nigerian’s time at the City Ground may be up.
One fan said: “At this point, sell Awoniyi and buy a rapid striker to have something different.” Another added: “Move Awoniyi on if anyone would pay for him.”
Another fan said: “It’s just really a shame how good he was. Look at him, he can barely run now,” with one more adding: “Barely looks like a footballer, I’m afraid.”
One fan said: “Has Taiwo touched the ball in 45 minutes?” While another Forest fan added: “Still think we need another ST.”
There were questions surrounding Awoniyi’s future back in January, but now more than ever, it’s looking like the 27-year-old may need to find a new home.
Nottingham Forest may need an upgrade on Taiwo Awoniyi
Reports in June claimed that Forest received loan offers for Awoniyi, but the club may be hoping that these offers turn into permanent deals to offload the Nigerian.
Given that Igor Jesus impressed on his Forest debut, it’s safe to assume that the Brazilian is ahead of Awoniyi in the pecking order up-front, with Wood still ahead of both as Nuno Espírito Santo’s go-to option at the start of the season at least.
Therefore, Forest’s usual one-striker system may not accommodate Awoniyi anymore, which could be good news for some of the clubs who had shown an interest in January.
West Ham were seriously interested in Awoniyi at the start of the year, and while there’s been no indication that they’ll return with a bid, the struggling forward may need to begin to explore any opportunities like this that come up in the transfer window.
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