Lewis Grabban is a man that knows how to deliver on a Championship stage. The Nottingham Forest striker is one of only six men to have registered 100 or more goals in England’s second tier. An archetypal ‘fox in the box’, the experienced frontman has made a career out of being in the right place at the right time.
Said qualities were welcomed with open arms by those at the City Ground in 2018, with Forest crying out for a 20-goal-a-season forward that could fire them back into promotion contention. And he has, for the most part, delivered on his part of that remit. Prior to a dramatic final day collapse in 2019-20, the Reds’ No.7 had done his bit in bringing the Promised Land back into sight.
Forest’s map reading skills remain questionable, though, and they are yet to reach a final destination that has been programmed into the sat nav on an annual basis for the last 14 years. Top-flight football has not graced Trentside in the 21st century.
If a standing among those that form part of English Premier League betting with Betfair is to be recaptured, then the likes of Grabban are going to have a key role to pay. Forest are 14/1 shots to secure promotion this term.
One step forward has all too often been followed by two in the opposite direction, leaving the Reds looking on enviously at those that make up English Premier League tips and get to visit Old Trafford and the London Stadium over Oakwell and London Road.
Is Grabban the present and future?
Steve Cooper has become the latest man to pick up a rather poisoned chalice in Nottingham, with the ex-Swansea City boss making a good go of endearing himself to demanding locals. Grabban has figured prominently in that quest.
When on the field, the bearded frontman takes charge of Forest’s captain’s armband. Questions may be asked of his commitment and leadership at times by those in the stands, but there are no such concerns in-house.
A disappointing goal return from 2020-21, when the Reds fluffed their lines as a collective, has already been matched. It is safe to assume that there will, injuries permitting, be a few more efforts to come before May.
By then, some big decisions will need to have been made. A wistful eye can be cast backwards in reflection on what has gone before, while another must look to the future. Does Grabban’s face fit there? As things stand, he is due to be out of contract next summer. The free agency pool beckons for 2022, but will he get to dip his toe?
In many ways, Grabban poses quite the dilemma. He is a goalscorer, and they are worth their weight in gold – particularly in a notoriously competitive Championship. He is not, though, a long-term option. How much weight does that argument hold?
A rolling, 12-month agreement could suit all parties – Grabban gets to stick around, pass his experience on and provide the healthy haul of goals that will inevitably arrive if he gets chances. On Forest’s part, they are not putting too many eggs in a familiar basket.
Would that be a win-win situation for all concerned? It would certainly make sense from stability and continuity perspectives, and those are qualities that Forest have often lacked when staggering their way down a road back to the Premier League.
