Nottingham Forest smashed their transfer record for the first time in what would be a summer of three history-making deals when prising Taiwo Awoniyi away from Union Berlin for £17 million. While bigger money would eventually be spent on others, a sizeable display of faith and funds had been shown in the Nigerian international.
The expectation was that a player with limited experience of time in England from a previous stint at Liverpool would be the man charged with the task of firing the Reds to Premier League safety in their first top-flight campaign for 23 years.
Reluctance to throw him at the deep end during an opening day trip to Newcastle was understandable, with everybody – certainly when 20-odd new faces have been welcomed through the doors – requiring a little time in which to find their feet.
Awoniyi was then included from the off on an emotionally-charged afternoon against West Ham at the City Ground, with a match-winning goal seeing him open his Forest account while endearing himself to a passionate group of supporters.
Springboard
If that effort was supposed to act as a springboard for all concerned, then things have not played out as planned on the banks of the Trent. Wins and points have proved to be in alarmingly short supply for the Reds, with inability – or reluctance – to settle on a preferred system and starting XI doing their cause more harm than good.
The Premier League is an unforgiving beast and Forest are yet to earn favor in various markets around the world relating to individual matches and wider relegation battles. Awoniyi’s standing among followers of the Super Eagles should be expected to garner him support among a loyal fan base back home -with the
best betting apps in Nigeria, with plenty of statistics and analysis to call upon, looking to nudge punters in the direction of a team and frontman that believe a spark can be found.
Awoniyi has, in his defense, seen as much bench duty as playing time so far, with successive starts when finding the target immediately followed by a slide back into a support role. Steve Cooper has, for whatever reason, decided that sticking with one attacking focal point is not
the way forward for him.
Stability
That approach may have to change as Forest desperately needs to find stability and consistency somewhere. Somebody is needed to put
the ball in the net on a regular basis if they are to avoid the drop, and Awoniyi is arguably the most reliable option to take on that challenge.
He boasts the power and pace to trouble opposition defenders and clearly knows his way around the final third having registered 15 efforts in the Bundesliga last season. There is no denying that he has looked a little rough around the edges at times, but it is difficult to fire on all cylinders when competitive minutes continue to be sporadic.
While Forest overhauled pretty much their entire squad in the last transfer window, with that process forced upon them by the departures of many promotion-winning stars, trust needs to be shown at some point in a core group of individuals.
Awoniyi will believe that he is capable of being a leading man and, if given a prolonged run in which to prove his worth, may yet end up turning raw and rusty into red-hot and reliable for a team crying out for inspiration.