View From The Town End: Tyrese Fornah

Reading like signing midfielders who’ve just been at Shrewsbury Town, don’t they? After bringing in Josh Laurent directly from that club two years ago, this summer the Royals have sealed the loan addition of former Salop loanee Tyrese Fornah from Nottingham Forest.

As that’s where he’s had recent regular game time - impressing in the process - we’ve gone for a Shrewsbury view on the Royals’ new midfielder. Thanks to the excellent Salopcast for giving us the lowdown on Fornah. They also separately put together some analysis on Fornah which you can read in this tweet right here:

How would you sum up Tyrese Fornah’s time at Shrewsbury?

Fornah joined Shrewsbury on a half-season loan in January 2022. After a short settling period and then a move to deep-lying playmaker, we saw an upturn in performances from Fornah. Overall, the loan spell was a great success, it proved Fornah is ready to play at a higher level and provided Shrews an upgrade in midfield.

What style of midfielder is he?

From what I saw, Fornah performs best when lining up as a deep-lying playmaker/pivot in a midfield three. Fornah is an athletic defensive midfielder, supporting central defenders through intelligent defending, closing passing angles and winning midfield duels. When in possession Fornah is comfortable on the ball, looks to dictate play and is a good passer.

What are his main strengths?

Fornah has good awareness and decision-making skills. He is excellent at dribbling out of trouble and is an accurate passer of the ball.

Any weaknesses?

When playing in a more advance position, I didn’t see a lot of creativity from Fornah. This could be because this isn’t his game. Like all young players, his consistency could improve, however in his defence, Shrewsbury ended the season poorly.

Do you have any stand-out memories of him for good or bad reasons?

Good – Fornah had a number of games when he was the standout player on the pitch. Post-match his name was being tweeted by home and away fans alike. My strongest memory is Fornah twisting and turning his way out of trouble and starting counter attacks.

What’s his character like?

Fornah appeared level-headed, hardworking and professional.

Will he be a success for Reading?

I think he could be a great signing for Reading. Joining in pre-season will help Fornah settle, achieve the right level of fitness and tactically understand his role in the team. When joining Salop it took Fornah some time to get up to the required level of fitness. I believe Fornah needs to play in a defensive-midfield role to succeed. Playing him out of position could be to the detriment of Fornah and Reading.