Nottingham Forest and astute transfer dealings haven’t gone hand in hand in recent times, with the Premier League side being burned for their business in the market.
This was particularly pressing in last season’s window as Evangelos Marinakis spent his war chest of funds like a kid in a sweet shop; spoilt for choice with options and ended up buying anyone he could get his hands on.
A whopping 30 signings arrived through the door and most turned out to be disastrous as Jesse Lingard, Jonjo Shelvey and Andre Ayew had a torrid time on Trentside – scoring just two between them. However, their season was saved by the signing of three gems, in particular, Taiwo Awoniyi, Orel Mangala and Morgan Gibbs-White.
The former of that trio, Awoniyi, is the one providing the dynamite in the final third, reaching double figures in the top flight and starting this campaign with three in six.
A deal to bring the Nigerian to the club has proven a fruitful piece of business and another sharpshooter who had a similar impact at the City Ground was the signing of Britt Assombalonga in 2014.
How much did Nottingham Forest pay for Britt Assombalonga?
The 5 foot 10 marksman began plying his trade at Watford in 2011 as a 19-year-old after graduating through the club’s academy, however, it would be a loan spell at Southend in the 2012/13 season that would see him christen the football league with his goals.
Assombalonga chalked up an impressive 15 strikes in League Two and that led to interest from several clubs with Peterborough winning the race for his signature, breaking their transfer record by shelling out £1.25m for the Englishman.
The Posh have made a habit out of signing undervalued strikers, developing them into goal-scoring machines and selling them on for huge profits in the future – Assombalonga would soon follow that trend.
After netting 33 goals in 58 appearances for Peterborough, proving himself a reliable presence in the lower tiers of English football, the prying hands of Nottingham Forest swooped in for the striker and took a chance on the 21-year-old in 2014, joining for a reported fee of just £5m alongside Michail Antonio.
How many goals did Assombalonga score for Forest?
A solid and reliable goalscorer in the lower echelons of the football league, Assombalonga would step up his goal-scoring prowess in the Championship, taking the mantle of being the main man through the middle.
Assombalonga’s power, pace and movement quickly propelled him to second-tier stardom as the sharpshooter conjured up an impressive 15 goals in 29 appearances in his first season, although his debut campaign at the City Ground would be cut short in February 2015.
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