Nottingham Forest Opinion: Forest should not be put off by Oxford’s £4m valuation of Gavin Whyte
According to Nottinghamshire Live, Nottingham Forest have been credited with an interest in Oxford United winger Gavin Whyte in the summer transfer window, with reports claiming that Martin O’Neill is keen to add more firepower to his ranks in a bid to challenge for promotion next term.
However, the same report claims that Oxford United manager Karl Robinson is prepared to play hardball with any potential suitor for the 23-year-old Northern Irishman, with the League One outfit slapping a £4 million price tag on the highly-rated attacker.
The move, if it materializes, would eclipse the £3 million that Oxford United received from the sale of Kemar Roofe to Leeds United back in 2016, meaning the Forest would need to fork out a sizeable transfer fee to get Whyte on their books this summer.
A product of Northern Irish outfit Crusaders, the 23-year-old rose to prominence with his boyhood club and racked up 44 goals and 18 assists in 134 appearances across all competitions before earning a move to League One side Oxford United.
Whyte showed strong signs of promise in his first season in English football and played a key role for United in the third-tier this past season, as Robinson’s side finished 12th in League One.
Whyte bagged an impressive 9 goals and 7 assists in 47 appearances across all competitions for United this past season and his red-hot form has put him on the radar of Forest, who seemingly believe the 23-year-old has all that it takes to make an impact in the Championship next term.
With his stocks currently on the rise following his impressive run in League One, the 5-cap Northern Ireland international might as well get an opportunity to test his credentials at a higher level in the upcoming campaign.
Predominantly a right-footed wide player, Whyte is at his best when deployed as an out-and-out winger down the right, although he is more than capable of operating in an inverted role on the left and up front as a centre-forward.
Noted for his good turn of pace, acceleration, flair and dribbling skills, Whyte showed with his performances this past season that he is quite capable of making vital contributions with goals and assists.
Given that he is still only 23, one would expect him to make significant improvements to his game in due course of time, and it probably won’t be a bad idea for Forest to shell out a handsome ransom for the youngster.
Forest splashed out a fortune last summer under the reign of Aitor Karanka and the paymasters would have hoped for the club to secure a playoff spot. However, things didn’t quite go according to plans and Forest finished a disappointing 9th in the Championship, despite the arrival of a number of high-profile signings.
To put things into perspective, the signing of Gavin Whyte could solve a lot of problems for Forest and there could be a gem at the City Ground if the 23-year-old successfully makes the step up to the Championship.
Forest netted 61 goals in the league last term and they might have to better than record next season to give themselves a better chance of making it to the playoffs, so the acquisition of Whyte could possibly add a little bit more depth, quality and firepower to their attacking ranks.
Loanees Ruben Dias and Diogo Goncalves have returned to their parent clubs, and with Hillel Soudani failing to make an impact in the Championship last season, Forest need to bring in some reinforcements in the wide areas.
Lewis Grabban and Joe Lolley were the key contributors up front this past season but the duo might be the subject of a lot of interest in the summer, and bringing in fresh faces won’t do the club much harm.
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Hence, it is pretty easy to figure out that Gavin Whyte perfectly fits the bill at the City Ground, and that said, Forest should go all out in their pursuit of the £4 million-rated League One star this summer.
