Why Nottingham Forest might consider recalling Tyler Walker from loan

Nottingham Forest laid down an early marker in the Championship with a 1-0 victory over early pace-setters Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium last week, as Sabri Lamouchi’s side finished Round 7 placed 10th in the standings.

Forest had the better chances in front of goal and Alfa Semedo’s goal late in the second half, assisted by Lewis Grabban, proved to be the difference between the two sides, as Forest registered their third league victory of the campaign.

Going by how things have panned out for Forest thus far, Lamouchi has plenty of positives to take from his start to life at the City Ground. With only a solitary defeat to go with three wins and draws apiece from their first seven games, Forest haven’t really hit top gear but there have seen some definite signs of encouragement.

Having conceded only 6 goals in 7 games thus far, stability at the back has been one of the key talking points of Forest’s start to the campaign, while new signings Sammy Ameobi and Albert Adomah have also shown strong signs of promise.

Lewis Grabban has, perhaps, been the Forest’s most influential performer till now, with the veteran playing a key role in the each of the club’s victories in the Championship and scoring 4 goals in the process.

Indeed, the 31-year-old looks capable of answering Forest’s prayers for an out-and-out 20-goal striker this season who could possibly help them stake a claim for a place in the promotion playoffs.

Lamouchi, though, should be aware of the lack of quality back-ups in the ranks for a role up top if the former Norwich City and Bournemouth star gets sidelines with an injury later on in the campaign.

Wolves loanee Rafa Mir has been anything but impressive in the few cameos that he has played off the bench, while Zach Clough isn’t really in the mix at the moment.

To put things into perspective, Nottingham Forest need to look no further beyond one of their homegrown stars, Tyler Walker, in a bid to add much-needed depth to their striking options.

The 22-year-old academy starlet, who is currently on loan at Lincoln City in League One, is firing on all cylinders in the third-tier and Forest should explore the viability of recalling him to the City Ground in January, with Lamouchi admitting that the club has the option to bring him back midway through the campaign. (h/t Nottingham Post)

Tyler Walker has hit the ground running at Lincoln City in an emphatic manner, accumulating 5 goals and an assist in 9 League One outings. The former England U-20 international made his debut for Forest back in March 2015 but he has been forced to go out on loan repeatedly to gain first-team exposure due to his struggle for regular minutes at the City Ground.

Walker’s loan stint at Lincoln City is the sixth of his career, having previously had spells at Burton Albion, Stevenage, Port Vale, Bolton Wanderers and Mansfield Town.

The 22-year-old scored 26 goals in all competitions for Mansfield Town in League Two last season and a rise in the level of competition this term seemingly hasn’t affected the youngster’s returns in front of goal, with Walker already boasting of 5 goals in the ongoing campaign.

An agile and athletic forward, Tyler Walker has long been tipped for stardom at the City Ground and it is high time for Forest to give him a fair crack of the whip in the Championship.

The youngster has 6 goals in 38 appearances for the club but he is capable of doing a lot better and regular playing opportunities under a demanding manager like Lamouchi could do a world of good for his development.

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To sum it up, recalling Tyler Walker from his loan spell in January might be considered as a step backwards by many but it is a decision that would make a lot of sense for Forest, particularly in terms of bolstering their striking options.