Keinan Davis helped to make it a perfect week for Nottingham Forest as he netted his fifth goal for the club to set up a 2-0 win over Birmingham City on Saturday.
The Aston Villa loanee enjoyed celebrating in front of the away fans after opening the scoring with five minutes on the clock. And that was just the start of a torrid afternoon for the Blues defence as he bullied them throughout.
The striker has made a big impact since joining the Reds on loan in January. And come the summer, a decision will need to be made on his future.
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Davis has reaped the rewards of regular game time since his switch to the City Ground. Having struggled on that front at Villa Park, he has racked up the minutes in the Garibaldi.
Up front is an area head coach Steve Cooper will need to look at come the end of the season. Lewis Grabban's contract is coming to an end, with no word yet on whether a new one will be offered. Lyle Taylor’s future is uncertain, given he is currently out on loan at Birmingham. And that leaves Sam Surridge as the only senior forward on the books without a question mark against his name.
Davis has already said he would be open to staying at the City Ground beyond his loan spell. And BirminghamLive’s Aston Villa correspondent Ashley Preece says there is every chance the 24-year-old could move on at the end of this term.
It is likely to be an option Forest will explore. Securing promotion to the Premier League would certainly help when it comes to weighing up Villa's expected price tag, but it remains to be seen whether another loan could also be a possibility.
State of play on Davis future
What's the feeling at Villa, does Keinan Davis have a future at the club?
AP: Well, Steven Gerrard had a good look at Davis after he arrived in November. The striker was on the bench for his first game against Brighton. However, it was pretty clear that he wasn't going to get a look-in ahead of Ollie Watkins and Danny Ings, hence why Forest made their move in January.
The feeling at Villa is that Davis is surplus to requirements. He'll have two years on his contract when pre-season begins in July and there's every hope Villa will be able to make a decent profit on the 24-year-old.
His form for the Reds is great news for Villa. There will be clubs queuing up to take him, for sure.
But, in a nutshell, it's believed Davis' Villa future is done. He's loved it at the City Ground and it's really rejuvenated his career.
Would Villa be willing to let him go in the summer? If so, what kind of deal would they be looking for?
AP: Yes, they will. Gerrard and the club have really high hopes for next season and they want to crack Europe. To be blunt, Davis is not going to get them there.
I think he's found his level in the Championship - although there's still so much promise, knowing he's just turned 24. I remember his debut against Norwich all them years ago when he was simply unplayable, and it's been the case at Forest.
In terms of a deal, I think a fee between £5m and £10m would be the ballpark figure Villa would be looking for. Strikers cost money and Davis has proved himself to be a good one in Nottingham.
Also, I would not be surprised if Dean Smith and Norwich come knocking once their relegation is confirmed. We shall see.
Davis’ stance
Asked if he would like to stay beyond the summer, Davis has previously said: “Yeah, of course. This is the best I’ve played and the most I’ve enjoyed my football in my whole entire life, so it’s just great to be here.
“Obviously the manager is a big part of it, but the dressing room has also got the right balance of older and young players - like Cookie (Steve Cook), and then young players like myself, Djed (Spence) and Brennan (Johnson). It’s just a great mixture. And then the manager lets us express ourselves and be ourselves.
“We have a bit of banter about that, about loving it here. But as you can tell by the way we’re playing, you can tell us loan signings all love it here.
“It’s good at the moment. We’re just enjoying it. You don’t get many clubs like this, especially in the Championship. They shouldn’t be here.
“I’ve not had any conversations with anyone about what might happen in the summer. I’ve just got to go out there and keep enjoying myself each game.
“Villa keep in touch with me. After games they message me and say ‘well done’ and say ‘it would be good if you could get Forest into the play-offs, so just keep going’. They keep encouraging me.”
Gerrard’s assessment
Villa boss Steven Gerrard has been kept updated with Davis’ progress at Forest. And he has previously said the front man’s future will be assessed in the summer.
“I’ve had a conversation with Steve Cooper as well,” Gerrard said in February. “Steve is brilliant at updating you with progress and the type of work that he is obviously continuing with Keinan.
“Steve has given him the opportunity to play regular games which is what he needed. Keinan is at an age where he hasn’t really posted consecutive numbers in terms of appearances or goals throughout his career yet.
“He’s obviously a big talent but it would have been probably the wrong decision to hold him back and keep him here to compete with Ollie (Watkins) and Danny (Ings) in the No.9 position as there’s no guarantee he would have got the game time that he needs at this stage in his career. We’re hoping he can stay healthy, he can continue knocking the appearances out and keep adding goals and really help contribute to Forest finishing the season strong - and again, like Cam (Archer), he will come away with us on pre-season, we will give him opportunities, we will see where he’s at and we’ll make a decision from there.
“But listen, we won’t stand in anyone’s way in terms of people we feel need football and a different challenge at that time. But they are very much Aston Villa players that are representing our club and we wish them all well.”
