No one knew how Jason Cummings would adapt to life at Nottingham Forest – but it all looks positive so far.
Jason Cummings may have broken a 50-year record by smashing the 20-goal barrier in three successive seasons for Hibernian but Nottingham Forest were still taking a risk when they brought the striker to the City Ground this summer.
After all, prolific performances in the Scottish second tier is no guarantee of success in the ultra-competitive English Championship, not to mention at one of the league’s biggest clubs who just happen to have spent the last few seasons embroiled in almost constant crisis.
Yet, just a month into the new season, Forest’s willingness to give Cummings a chance in English football already looks like a masterstroke.
Cummings may have been forced to wait for his chance in league football, making just two goal-less appearances off the bench thus far, but he has already proven that he can handle himself against quality opposition.
His two clinical finishes in last week’s 3-2 EFL Cup underdog victory against Newcastle United, including an instinctive reflex header, offered a tantalising glimpse of Cumming’s poaching potential.
An all-too-rare bargain
In today’s madcap market, the fact that Forest managed to sign such a talented young goalscorer for less than £1 million, per the Nottingham Post, is nothing short of remarkable.
After all, just a few weeks earlier, the Scottish Sun was reporting that Cummings was a £2 million target for Championship rivals Sunderland. Their loss is undoubtedly Forest’s gain.
In time, Cummings could come to epitomise Forest’s revamped approach to recruitment, something that has let them down greatly in recent seasons.
Young, hungry and blessed with huge potential, Cummings has Forest fans looking positively towards the future again. And that’s before he’s even started a league game.
Needless to say, there is no shortage of Championship rivals who may end up wishing they had taken a chance on this unproven 22-year-old.
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