Nottingham Forest could be about to add some much-needed firepower to their attacking line-up
And even better, they won’t even have to pay a penny. Apart from wages of course, but let’s not fret over that yet.
Reports are coming in from Uruguay (via The Nottingham Post) that Nottingham Forest are set to go back for the same man they were interested in last summer, former Hull City forward Abel Hernandez. The 28-year-old is currently a free agent having been released by CSKA Moscow back in May.
This move would be a fascinating one for Nottingham Forest to pull off. At 28, Hernandez still has a few good years left in him and would serve as an excellent rotation man with current main striker Lewis Grabban. There’s a dangerous 1-2 punch that can be landed here if Forest are able to pull this off.
Given Grabban’s return last year, 17 goals in all competitions, it would be a bit harsh to drop him to the bench, and given how Hernandez is known for having injury problems throughout his career, his days as a starter are going to be limited. You can’t put that much faith in someone that could go down at any minute.
But when he is in the Championship, my word does he know how to find the goal, with 28 goals in 49 appearances a record that’s better than one in every two. Twenty of those goals came during his first spell in the division in 2015/16, and he still managed to get eight during an injury-shortened season in 2017/18.
With Daryl Murphy, Jason Cummings, and to a lesser extent Zach Clough all seemingly on their way out of the City Ground this summer, the depth at the centre forward role will start to look a bit slim.
Adding someone with the class of Hernandez to the side will be an excellent addition to a side that I have got very high hopes for. I’ve spoken before about how important rotation is when it comes to the heavy and sometimes hectic Championship schedule, and an aggressive move like this would be exactly the kind of tonic Forest need to get through it all.
