A powerful forward is still on Nottingham Forest’s shortlist of targets this summer, a signing that has become all the more pressing after supporters at the City Ground on Sunday bid an emotional farewell to a player who embodies all the qualities of a goal-getting battering ram.

Despite starting only six Premier League games over the past two seasons, Taiwo Awoniyi was given a guard of honour on the City Ground pitch at half-time, his team-mates lining up to hug him by way of a send-off before his switch to newly-promoted Coventry City.

The 10 goals the Nigerian scored in the 2022-23 campaign helped stave off the threat of relegation in the first season after winning the Championship play-offs. They were the foundations on which Forest have built.

As they head into their fifth consecutive season in the top flight, Forest will miss Awoniyi’s ever-present smile, his bubbly demeanour and positive influence in the dressing room.

His departure will, however, make room in the squad for Forest to sign another forward, with Chelsea’s Liam Delap still among their attacking possibilities. The 23-year-old – who was also a Forest target prior to his £30million ($40.6m) move to London from Ipswich last summer – has dropped down the Blues’ pecking order after Chelsea signed Danny Welbeck from Brighton & Hove Albion.

Head coach Oliver Glasner still hopes Forest will make two or three additions before the window closes, with a wing-back and a central midfielder also on their shopping list.

Glasner believes the evidence of the past few Premier League seasons – when those higher up the top-scorers list have all been of a similar ilk — is enough to underline the value of powerful forwards. Erling Haaland, Alexander Isak, Ollie Watkins and Jean-Philippe Mateta, who Glasner had at Crystal Palace, have all thrived.

He likes his sides to have goal threat from numerous areas, including the two No 10 roles within his preferred 3-4-2-1 formation. But he puts great stock in having a figurehead up front, a role that Mateta – who is not among Forest’s targets – very capably fulfilled in south London.

In the meantime, Glasner is relaxed about the possibility of starting the new campaign with Chris Wood and Igor Jesus as his two main options for the No 9 role.

Wood converted from the penalty spot with typical confidence as Forest defeated Brest 2-0 in their final pre-season outing at the City Ground. It was a dominant display that saw him lead the Forest line with great purpose and poise.

Igor Jesus found the net as Forest claimed a 2-0 win over Coventry City behind closed doors on Saturday, with Neco Williams getting the other goal for a Forest side that included many of the squad’s big-hitters, including Matz Sels, Murillo, Morgan Gibbs-White, Ibrahim Sangare and James McAtee.

“We have Chris and Igor — he has scored in almost every game he played in pre-season, with the exception of Barcelona. Chris, you can see the impact he has on the game; his physical presence. He was ruthless with the penalty,” said Glasner in an interview with gathered journalists. “We have two great strikers and we also have other players scoring goals. Our wing-backs are getting into dangerous positions.

“And we have great players in the No 10 role who can score goals. We feel well prepared. But we always look at what is possible, at who is available. If we can add a player who gives us something we do not have in the squad, and it makes sense from a financial point of view, then we will try to do it. We have two or three additions in the pipeline.”

Chris Wood scored from the penalty spot against Brest (David Rogers/Getty Images)

Glasner has been happy with the £35million addition of Ousmane Diomande from Sporting CP and the capture of Xaver Schlager on a free transfer following the end of his contract at RB Leipzig. There is no sense of crisis over further new additions, with Glasner feeling he has two players to compete in every position. Equal importance will be given to trimming the squad, with one or two players – including defender Tyler Bindon – likely to leave on loan.

Wood is of a determined mind after suffering a frustrating campaign that saw him impacted by a knee injury that sidelined him from mid-October to early April — and believes Forest have the options to be competitive up front.

Glasner thinks highly of the 34-year-old New Zealander, who scored 20 goals as Forest finished seventh and secured Europa League qualification in the 2024-2025 season – and Wood believes he can thrive in the role Glasner likes his centre-forward to play.

“Both myself and Igor can do that role, no problem. We will have to fight it out for that starting berth. We might have to share it throughout the season. We will have to do a job for the team,” Wood told journalists including The Athletic. “Igor has great ability.”

“Taiwo was an integral part of the dressing room. You can see the love we have for him and the fans love him. He will be sorely missed. He works hard for the team and is just a great lad. I am sure he will do great things (at Coventry).”

Whether there are new additions before next weekend or not, Glasner will hope the team he selects to face Leeds will be just as capable of achieving the levels he believes Awoniyi can.

Playing twice within 48 hours was an inconvenience Crystal Palace could have done without last season.

Competing in the UEFA Conference League alongside a run to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup and a congested festive period in the Premier League, their success caused a fixture pile-up.

But it offered an opportunity. Then-manager Oliver Glasner chose to name a completely changed starting XI for the Conference League game against Finnish side KuPS in December, with a Premier League fixture away at Leeds United to follow two days later on the Saturday night and the Carabao Cup tie with Arsenal on the following Tuesday.

That meant a chance for two youngsters in particular. The youngest of them was Joel Drakes-Thomas, a 16-year-old forward who can play as a wing-back. Also in the starting line-up for his debut was 17-year-old left wing-back Dean Benamar. Both impressed, but Drakes-Thomas was especially bright, subsequently becoming Palace’s youngest Premier League player when coming off the bench in what was a heavy 4-1 defeat by Leeds.

There was a brief appearance from the bench against Newcastle United on January 4 before a start in the 2-1 defeat by Macclesfield in the FA Cup, a game on which he struggled to impose himself.

Joel Drakes-Thomas playing against Newcastle in the Premier League in January (George Wood/Getty Images)

But the teenager is viewed with great promise at Palace. The Athletic reported in December that he had agreed to sign a professional contract when eligible to do so on his 17th birthday, with that being confirmed in June.

His efforts in that 2-2 draw with KuPS did not go unnoticed, and while Glasner later warned that Palace would have problems if they were to rely on a 16-year-old, those comments did not reflect his view of Drakes-Thomas but acknowledged his inexperience and age.

He had praised Drakes-Thomas’ confidence after the KuPS game. Glasner, not a manager to prioritise youth, was demanding of his players and age made no difference. “He has a nice personality,” Glasner said. “I like it if (young players) take responsibility and if they just do (rather than think too much). You can make a few mistakes, but I like the way he played today.”

The arrival of Brennan Johnson in January for a then-club record transfer fee of £35million put Drakes-Thomas’ first-team prospects on hold, while Evann Guessand’s arrival from Aston Villa on loan further set his chances back.

There had been a sense at the club that he would debut last season. This year he may prove to be Palace’s breakthrough player, but that is unlikely to be as a regular in the first team.

Realistically, there is no space for any of the academy talent to make their mark at this stage. 

Goalkeeper Lucca Benetton is highly regarded but is 15. If he continues to stand out, he may step up to play under-21 football this season and he was part of the travelling squad for the Como Cup as Palace try hard to convince him that he should stay at the club as one of their brightest talents.

Palace will hope that holding onto Drakes-Thomas despite interest elsewhere, combined with minutes as he develops, highlights a pathway for others. They have lost several academy players to other clubs in recent seasons, including forward Jesse Derry and the more highly-regarded midfielder Reggie Watson, both to Chelsea.

Not all of those who have been left were considered to be highly likely future first-team players, but Palace’s only realistic way to compete with bigger clubs is to show a future in the senior setup sooner.

Under new manager Pierre Sage, who prefers his No 10s to move the ball wider, more quickly, Drakes-Thomas should benefit. He is naturally more suited to the role of a traditional winger but demonstrated in the under-21s and those fleeting senior appearances that he is adaptable.

With Palace in the Europa League this season and that guaranteeing at least eight league-phase games, he stands a chance of being given further chances to impress. The most important thing is that he is not stunted by a lack of games at any level and he still plays regularly for the under-21s.

Drakes-Thomas will benefit from being a more established part of the first team setup — learning, improving and becoming a more rounded player. 

Dan Burn had a go at answering a question for the ages: are Newcastle United ready?

“Very ready,” the England centre-half said. “We’re not going to peak against Liverpool. It’s going to take time for the new manager to embed the things he wants to do, but I’m confident. We want to be pushing for Europe again. I feel like we need to embrace this change.”

A little later, Burn spoke about “a season of unknowns,” and that felt about right. How could Newcastle possibly be ready? Matthias Jaissle, the head coach, has been in position for two weeks, a brief window in which to make an impression but hardly long enough to get his ideas across. The coaching staff is box-fresh, the players young and callow. They need more.

Yet Liverpool on Sunday is an occasion which demands that Newcastle be ready, a titanic fixture of heightened emotion which will celebrate the life of Kevin Keegan, a legend at both clubs, and see Alexander Isak, a tarnished legend at one, return to St James’ Park. It is sink-or-swim time. “We don’t need any motivation,” Burn said.

One of these years, Newcastle might enjoy a summer of serenity, quietly going about their business, rather than enduring the ructions which have become the norm. It does not feel like steady ground on which to lay foundations although, in this case, it is difficult to lay blame. Eddie Howe chose to carry on until he did not.

From scrambling to avoid a points deduction, the departure of Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi, the co-owners, the loss of Elliot Anderson, the saga of Isak’s contentious departure and the desperation which followed, to this, Howe has been a glue. What binds them now? Will they coalesce or come unstuck?

Newcastle will come up against their old forward Isak when they face Liverpool next weekend (Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Newcastle’s final two pre-season friendlies brought two defeats, making it three losses out of four for Jaissle, following an uplifting 2-1 victory in Valencia during his first outing. Saturday’s 2-1 reversal against Bayer Leverkusen, when the home side had to farcically change their shirts midway through the first due to a kit clash, was deserved.

Newcastle shaded Sunday’s match against Strasbourg, which finished 1-1 after normal time, yet three penalty misses — two of which were woeful — and a 3-2 shootout defeat followed. These are early days, but they do not scream ‘ready’.

“I’m hoping that when we look back on this season, it’s going to be very positive,” Burn says, but nobody truly knows.

Change can be frightening, but change can also be necessary. “There’s a new energy coming in with the new staff and younger lads,” Burn said. “Change can be good.”

Whereas under Howe there was an increasing sense of predictability about the likely starting XI, formation and attacking routines, there are countless fresh questions now that Jaissle is in charge. And precious few (definitive) answers.

In all four friendlies, Jaissle fielded a 4-2-3-1, so we can expect that system against Liverpool, but who will occupy many of the positions remains unclear. Jaissle has to find a No 10 and two No 6s, essentially three specialist positions which Howe rarely, if ever, sought players for. To an extent, Jaissle is trying to place square pegs into round holes, or at least only partially rounded pegs into round holes, given he has not been involved in the construction of this squad.

There were belated signs of offensive life — and clear evidence of how they want to attack under Jaissle, with ‘verticality’, quick transitions and plenty of balls upfield — against Strasbourg. Goals, and even the creation of scoring opportunities, are genuine causes for concern, however.

Having laboured for long spells against Everton and Leverkusen, Newcastle looked more fluid and focused going forwards on Sunday, with Will Osula dangerous (and on the scoresheet), while Jacob Murphy laid on the goal and created many of the home side’s best opportunities. Joe Willock was also heavily involved as No 10, yet he is expected to depart, while Murphy is not guaranteed to stay on Tyneside, which suggests further succession planning is still required.

Osula scores in the game against Strasbourg at St James’ Park (Andy Commins/PA Images via Getty Images)

The strong assumption is that Osula will play as the striker next week, so one of Yoane Wissa (who looks revitalised and has been a bright spark throughout the summer) or Nick Woltemade (who continues to struggle) will likely play off the Dane. Harvey Barnes will probably play off the left, despite Bazoumana Toure generating excitement with his pace and directness, and Anthony Elanga to the right, even if he is yet to convince.

In midfield, Joelinton is out for a fortnight at least, so the Brazilian will not feature, meaning Jacob Ramsey — who was at fault for Strasbourg’s equaliser — and Lewis Miley, who has only played 45 minutes across pre-season, are favourites to start. Sean Steur has impressed since arriving and up to €40million (£34.1m, $46.2m) has been invested in Aladji Bamba, but they are 18 and 20 respectively and require time to acclimatise.

Jaissle is desperately seeking experience, especially in the engine room, but a move for Marseille’s Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has stalled and luring Joao Palhinha to Tyneside is looking unlikely. There is a Bruno Guimaraes-shaped hole in this side, with his creativity, leadership and inspiration sorely missing.

At full-back, Jaissle only has two fit senior options — and that is assuming Amar Dedic’s transfer from Benfica, for a fee of around £30m, is completed (as it should be). The 23-year-old worked with Jaissle in Austria, so is well-versed in the head coach’s philosophy, though Dedic has scant experience in Europe’s top-five leagues. Dedic will likely deputise against Liverpool, though, with Lewis Hall on the other flank.

Dedic gestures to the Benfica fans in a European qualifier this week (WM Sport Media/Getty Images)

Whether Burn is ready to start after only 45 minutes against Strasbourg is unclear, while Sven Botman has had a difficult pre-season. Malick Thiaw will be the right-sided centre-half.

In goal, Lukas Hornicek will make his Premier League bow, with Nick Pope heading for the exit, though the Czech Republic international has yet to inspire confidence, with questionable shot-stopping over the past week.

Jaissle clearly feels Newcastle have had too many friendlies and too few training sessions as he works on fast-forward to implement his ideas. The weekend double-header immediately preceding the season forced Jaissle to “split” his team across the two games, meaning the XI he fields against Liverpool will never have played together.

That provides Newcastle with a surprise factor, although that applies as much to themselves as it does for Liverpool.

Not all of Newcastle’s touchstones have gone. Howe, Guimaraes, Kieran Trippier, Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali now belong to another era, but Burn remains, newly minted as a World Cup semi-finalist with England and freshly installed as club captain. Amid a lot of uncertainty, he represents a fixed point to cling to.

Burn is Newcastle’s new club captain following the departure of Guimaraes to Arsenal (Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)

Win or lose, Howe projected calm. Trippier was the standard-bearer, Guimaraes the heartbeat, Gordon led Newcastle’s press and Tonali oozed quality. This applied somewhat less in the Premier League last season, when fatigue and mediocrity took hold, but you knew what you were going to get and quite often it was very good.

What to expect now, amongst all this churn?

“Intense football with a vertical approach, aggressive, front-footed,” Jaissle said last week when asked to explain his vision for Newcastle — which does not sound too far removed from Howe’s s***-housing swarmers — but there has been little sign of that so far.

The tyros must become titans. “You don’t need to step up when you’ve got leaders in front of you,” Burn said. “When you haven’t, it becomes your time to do it. When there’s no one there to fill that vacuum, you’ve got to be the one that does it. It’s going to be good for our younger lads. I’m excited.”

Beyond Dedic and an experienced midfielder, many observers would argue Newcastle require another striker, a wide attacker and another full-back in the market. But reinforcements in such volume appear unlikely, especially on the offensive front.

David Hopkinson, the CEO, and Ross Wilson, the sporting director, have overseen a bold — and what they argue is a necessary — reset this summer. “Newcastle United 2.0” will definitely be different, but whether it can prove successful in the short-to-medium term is something nobody can answer (even if many fans understandably fear the worst following another summer of upheaval).

“We’re not concerned,” Jaissle said on Saturday. “We know the reality and we do the best with the reality.”

What that reality is, nobody else is sure. Newcastle really are heading into the unknown.