Nottingham Forest they are simply blessed with attacking talent in their current forward group. The men in Garibaldi Red have been on fire this season and are flying high in the Premier League in third place.
Chris Wood certainly remembered his shooting boots this term. The New Zealand striker is Forest’s in-form player, with 13 goals in all competitions this season, more than any of his teammates.
The midfield trio behind him is just as productive. Callum Hudson-Odoi has four goals this season, Morgan Gibbs-White has seven and Anthony Elanga is flying with eight goals and assists.
Incredibly, it looks like Forest could add more firepower to their already lethal attack with one Premier League star.
Nottingham Forest are looking for a striker
The player in question is Bretford striker Yoane Wiss. The DR Congo striker has been under fire for the Bees this term but could leave the club before the February transfer window closes.
At least that’s how it is as reported by John Percy of The Telegraph. Forest are expected to ‘explore a move’ for the 28-year-old in the coming days as they look to add depth in attacking areas, Taiwo Awoniyi leave.
However, they will not be alone in their pursuit of the Brentford star. North London giants Arsenal, who are one of only two teams above Forest in the Premier League table, also have a striker on their list of new players to attack. At this stage, the price for the striker remains to be seen.
Why Wissa would be a good signing
It has been an exceptional season for Wissa so far in the 2024/25 season, starring in the Bees’ attack alongside Bryan Mbuem. The pair have really stepped up since Ivan Toney left the club in the summer for Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia.
In this period, Wissa scored 11 times in the Premier League, recording two assists along the way, in 18 appearances in the first league.
He has scored and assisted multiple goals in a game four times, including two key goals against Bournemouth in his side’s 3-2 win. He is certainly “highly underrated”, as football analyst Ben Mattinson explained.
The DR Congo star could be a fantastic long-term upgrade on Awoniyi. It appears the Nigerian forward could be on his way to Forest, with Percy explaining he is a ‘target’ for West Ham, but they are yet to make a bid.
Although the former Union Berlin striker showed promise in the Garibaldi Red shirt, with 18 goals in 71 games for the club, he has not performed well this term.
He has only one goal in 16 appearances in the Premier League all season, with that strike in the recent 3-0 away win against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
In fact, when you look at the pair’s stats over the past two and a half seasons, since Awoniyi first moved to the Premier League, you can see the quality Wissa possesses when compared to the Forest number nine.
For example, according to FBrefthe Brentford striker averages 2.31 shots and 0.36 goals per game. In comparison, Awoniyi averages 2.19 shots and 0.34 goal creation.
While those numbers are pretty close, Wissa is the superior player when it comes to his dribbling ability. The Bees’ number 11 averages 1.66 progressive carries each game, compared to the Nigerian forward’s 1.01 progressive carries per 90 minutes.
|
Wiss vs Awoniyi key stats comparison |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Statistics (90 each) |
Wiss |
Awoniyi |
|
Recordings |
2.31 |
2.19 |
|
Actions that create goals |
0.36 |
0.34 |
|
Assists |
0.13 |
0.13 |
|
Key passages |
0.9 |
0.71 |
|
Progressive mounts |
0.66 |
1.01 |
|
Statistics from FBref |
||
Given his hot form this term, it seems Wissa would be a huge upgrade on Awoniyi, who is destined to leave the club. He would certainly add attacking firepower at the City Ground this term.
The former Lorient star could be just the player Forest are looking for to help push them towards Champions League qualification.
