Right, if this is indeed the choice that we are going to make, then we have to make sure we do it properly.
It’s a big gamble for us to take, but something that if done well and managed correctly could act as a huge step forward not just for the club, but for the young man as well. Although given the circumstances, I can’t see that happening.
According to reports from John Percy of The Telegraph and later added to by Paul Taylor of The Athletic, Nottingham Forest are set to recall Tyler Walker from his loan spell at Lincoln City. The 23-year-old has been in fine form at Sincil Bank, scoring 16 goals in all competitions, starting 27 times during the first half of the season.
Now though, barring a huge change in philosophy and style by Sabri Lamouchi, or an injury to Lewis Grabban, his playing time is likely to take a significant decrease between now and May if he does get recalled.
And that is just one of the reasons why I think this move is a big gamble. I’ve spoken before about the risk of bringing in someone from League One too early, but with the introduction of Nuno Da Costa into the mix as well, I can’t see where his playing time is going to come from.
And that is my big concern.
He was doing so well at Lincoln City, that he should have been allowed to carry on that progress by playing regularly, but if he comes back to the City Ground, as mentioned earlier, that is all going to disappear. Hopefully he can still get plenty of minutes in the meantime, with lots of substitute appearances and minutes under his belt as he takes the next step in his career playing and being developed at a higher level.
Are the club right to recall Walker this window?
Yes
No
Because if we don’t utilise him correctly, we could knock his career back quite significantly by just letting him rot on the bench, which after the promise that he’s shown would be an awful waste of some great potential.
