Striker Targets for Nottingham Forest in January
With Wood injured, and Kalimuendo likely to leave, who could Forest potentially target to function in a Sean Dyche team?
Igor Jesus has led the line for Forest admirably this season, putting in some really nice performances but unfortunately he’s really struggled to find the back of the net, with just 1 Premier League goal (and another 2 ruled out by VAR).
Sadly it’s clear that Taiwo Awoniyi is no longer a serviceable replacement either, so Forest are likely going to have to dip into the market - but who could they target?
Promise David - Union Saint-Gilloise
24 year old Canadian striker Promise David is a player I first suggested for Forest in January 2025, at that point he had scored 5 domestic goals. Well he finished the season with 21 - this season he’s got 8 in the Belgian top flight plus another 2 in the Champions League.
His team will be targeting a Champions League play-off spot, so it will take a decent fee for them to sell. I do think though it would be a wise investment on a player who has had quite the strange career path.
David came through Toronto FC’s academy, before moving on to FC Tulsa’s junior side. He then found his way over to Malta, before a transfer to Estonian side Nõmme Kalju really paid off for him. He scored plenty of goals for them, including 14 in just 16 games in his final season before his biggest move to USG. Now a fully fledged Canadian international, if he has a decent World Cup his price will likely increase even further.
I’ve watched plenty of him in recent months, his playing style I’ve found to be similar to ‘peak-Awoniyi’ in that he isn’t the most pleasing on the eye but he can be incredibly effective. He’s the type of striker that can frustrate but has the ability to pop up with an important goal. For me there’s only two negative things to focus on, the first being that he’s played most of this season in a front 2, and the other that he’ll likely come at a pretty high price.
For those reasons I wonder if he isn’t the most likely January signing, but he’s certainly a player Forest and a whole host of other teams should have an eye on.
Sambou Soumano - Lorient
24-year old Senegalese forward Soumano is enjoying a really bright campaign with Lorient in Ligue 1, scoring 4 and assisting 2 more in just under 700 minutes. He was linked with moves back in the summer for around £5m, this price would likely have increased a little but would still represent a more cost-effective option, still with a great chance of financial returns in the future.
Winning over 50% of his attacking aerial duels this season is a great return for a player that stands at just 6ft. Watching some of his footage he shows some smart body positioning to withstand contact from stronger defenders. His data profile suggests he can be an all-round threat - he has the ability to drop deep and link play, as well as be the man on the end of the moves in the box too.
Perhaps the biggest question mark on Soumano is unfortunately his finishing. He has underperformed his xG, scoring 4 from 5.41, but more worryingly it’s his xGOT (that measures the quality of shots) that stands out at just 3.82. It is fair to say though that this is a small sample size, and from the bits I’ve seen of him he doesn’t strike me as a ‘poor’ finisher.
Soumano would represent a good option as a 3rd striker. I’d be a little hesitant about bringing in someone like him as a 2nd option, especially considering the uncertainty around Wood’s injury, and Soumano’s own lack of experience - he’s only just hit 150 appearances and will be 25 next month.
Jørgen Strand Larsen - Wolverhampton Wanderers
The Norwegian striker is a player I first suggested as a possible target for Forest in November 2023 whilst he was in La Liga with Celta Vigo. In the summer of 2024 he signed for Wolves, and enjoyed a great debut season in the Premier League scoring 14 and assisting another 4.
If Forest were recruiting from a position of strength, then I think Strand Larsen would still be a decent bet for long-term success at The City Ground. However, in the team’s current position in a relegation battle, I think signing him would represent a little bit of a risk, especially considering Wolves’ reported asking price of around £40m.
Our best guess is that Dyche would want an alternative ‘target man’ type on the bench - this would make sense with his consistent use of Awoniyi ahead of Kalimuendo. Strand Larsen’s profile this season doesn’t match that very well though - but of course we must also take into account the overall poor season Wolves are having too. What has remained consistent though is his 40% attacking aerial success rate - this is lower than Igor Jesus’ 53%.
The data suggests Strand Larsen’s profile this season is a close match to the likes of Beto (who Dyche has worked with previously), Barry (who was brought in by Everton to essentially replace Beto), and Alexander Sørloth (another who I suggested as a target in November 2023). I do think that he would be a fit, but the price and his recent form make this potential signing a risky one at this moment in time.
Ricardo Pepi - PSV Eindhoven
Texas born Ricardo Pepi has had to fight for his minutes at PSV, but his recent form (5 goals in his last 5 games in all competitions) has kept him in the starting lineup. At 23 years old, Pepi is in his 4th season in the Eredivisie, after a short spell in Germany with Augsburg following winning the MLS Young Player of the Year Award in 2021.
Pepi profiles as a good, all-round striker, at 6”1 he can be strong in the air (although he has few aerial duels with PSV’s playing style), and he’s also a very strong ball carrier - with the ability to do so from deeper areas.
He’s scored 7 goals from just under 5 xG - this is partly due to his good shot quality. This season he’s shown a clear preference in shooting toward the bottom left of the goal. Pepi has consistently outperformed his expected numbers, having totals that exceed his xG in 5 of the 6 seasons that he’s played meaningful senior minutes.
Because of his age and his good track record, any transfer fee for Ricardo Pepi would come at a pretty high cost. Fulham have already reportedly had a £26m bid turned down - Forest have shown this past summer that they are willing to move significant money for their targets, but perhaps all of their previous expensive business makes this one a little difficult from a financial standpoint. He’s a player like Promise David who is primed for a break-out World Cup in North America.
Keinan Davis - Udinese
A player Forest fans know well, and one who has had more than his fair share of injuries in his career. 27 year old Davis is finally thriving with Udinese in Serie A with 5 goals and 2 assists so far this season. Playing mostly in a front two, Davis has been one of the best performers in the league.
There’s no doubt in my mind a player like Keinan Davis would be a perfect fit in a Sean Dyche side. His ability to battle with defenders, bring others into play and carry the ball would all really help Forest. Davis has been a player who has scored at around the expected level for his entire career.
Davis has had an impact throughout the opposition half this season - the Impact by Pitch Area visual below shows just how effective he has been. Creating 16 chances as part of a front two certainly helps - Davis has won over 50% of his attacking aerial duels, and also completed over 50% of his attempted dribbles too.
The biggest question marks over Keinan Davis will always be over his fitness - however he’s missed just 1 game through injury this season (15 total since the start of last season). If the target is purely to improve (in Dyche’s opinion) on Forest’s current bench options, then Davis would be an addition that fits the bill. His cost probably wouldn’t be too astronomical compared to some of the other options above either.
Other Options:
Sidiki Cherif - 19 - Angers
Fisnik Asllani - 23 - Hoffenheim
Mateo Pellegrini - 22 - Parma