Why Nottingham Forest should go all out to sign Eddie Nketiah in January

According to Bristol Live, Nottingham Forest are one of the clubs interested in signing Arsenal starlet Eddie Nketiah on loan in the January transfer window.

The 20-year-old is currently on loan at Leeds United but the report adds that the Gunners are set to recall him from his loan spell at Elland Road midway through the campaign after growing increasingly frustrated over his lack of regular involvement in the playing eleven.

Nketiah has made a total of 16 league appearances for the Whites so far, with 15 of them coming as cameos off the bench, and Arsenal are now looking to bring him back to North London with a view to loaning him out to another club.

Image result for eddie nketiah" — Arsenal are set to recall Eddie Nketiah from his loan spell at Leeds United (Getty Images)

As per the report, Bristol City are currently in pole position to snap him up on loan but the Robins are expected to face stiff from across the division, with Nottingham Forest, Brentford and Sheffield Wednesday also keen to secure the services of the highly-rated striker.

Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest somehow managed to grind out three points with a 1-0 victory over strugglers Wigan Athletic on Sunday, courtesy of a solitary strike from Tobias Figueiredo.

The Reds looked completely off-colour but three valuable points ensured that Sabri Lamouchi’s side climbed up to 5th in the standings.

Indeed, Forest have put the disappointment of a five-game winless streak behind them to get their campaign back on track with back-to-back victories over Hull City, Wigan and Blackburn, and they will be looking to continue their ascent up the standings.

Despite the fact that Forest are pretty well-stocked in almost all departments, the January window will be a golden opportunity for Lamouchi to plug the holes in his squad, and finding an able back-up for first-choice striker Lewis Grabban should be high on the Frenchman’s agenda.

Grabban, who has bagged 12 goals for the Reds in the Championship so far this term, continues to be one of the most devastating centre-forwards in the English second-tier.

However, the lack of depth in the club’s striking options could be a huge stumbling block in their pursuit of promotion when the fixtures come thick and fast in the second half of the campaign.

With Wolves loanee, Rafa Mir, failing to make a positive impact and Welsh starlet Brennan Johnson still very much an unproven entity at the senior level, Forest need to sign someone in January with the necessary skill set to deputize for Grabban.

Eddie Nketiah might only be 20 but the Arsenal academy graduate has already shown that he has what it takes to make an impact at this level, and Nottingham Forest completing a loan deal for him could go a long way towards solving a nagging issue in a key area of the pitch for Lamouchi.

Verdict

Grabban should continue as the first-choice striker in the second half of the season but Nketiah’s arrival would allow Lamouchi to rotate his squad and give the veteran some much-needed rest.

More importantly, Nketiah would provide a quicker and more mobile alternative to Grabban, who is more of an old-school forward relying on his aerial game and hold-up play (Whoscored).

Hence, it is easy to see that the 20-year-old could add another dimension to Forest’s attack while also increasing competition for places up top.

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All in all, Nottingham Forest beating off the competition to sign Eddie Nketiah in January could make a telling difference in their surge for promotion in the Championship.