Injuries were already having an impact on Nottingham Forest’s January transfer plans, and getting the right players in has only taken on greater significance amid a growing absentee list.
Having added Brazilian duo Gustavo Scarpa and Danilo, the Reds are working on making Chris Wood their third addition of the window. The prospect of bringing in the Newcastle United striker has divided opinion on social media, but Taiwo Awoniyi’s groin injury means there is extra urgency around securing attacking reinforcements.
It is an area of the pitch Forest had wanted to strengthen anyway - along with centre-back and, now, goalkeeper. With Awoniyi facing an extended spell on the sidelines, though, bringing in a forward now would be particularly well timed.
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Although head coach Steve Cooper hasn’t always played with an out-and-out front man on the pitch, ahead of Saturday’s trip to Bournemouth, Sam Surridge and Emmanuel Dennis are the only two currently available while Awoniyi is ruled out.
Wood has found the net three times in 22 appearances this season. He would bring with him a wealth of Premier League experience - only three years ago he notched 14 goals in 35 games for Burnley in the 2019/20 campaign, for example.
And Cooper has previously indicated how valuable it can be to have some players who are accustomed to English football’s top-flight in his squad. “It has changed a little bit because of the injuries, yes,” he has said of the club’s transfer plans. “But also, we’ve been able to really look at what we think we’ve got already and where we think we need to improve.
“The other thing, let’s be honest, is we are playing in the Premier League and a lot of people are experiencing it for the first time. Game in, game out, you quickly realise what you need in your team to give yourselves the best chance of competing. That’s the other caveat that goes into it.”
Cooper has also been keen to target signings who can slot straight into the starting XI this month. He wants to finish the window with sufficient strength in depth in all areas.
He has said: “The first idea of players coming in will be to improve the starting team, there's no doubt about that. Maybe we have to think about some strength in depth in some positions because of injuries.
"But for sure, if we bring players in we need to bring players that we think can go straight on the pitch and make a difference. Although we were doing okay just before the break - a little bit better, not quite where we want to be - we’re still in the league position we’re in and, over a phase, we need to do things a lot better than what we have done so far. To do that, you need to change the team up a little bit, change the squad a little bit and look for the right solutions to improve."
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