Super Eagles of Nigeria forward Taiwo Awoniyi has successfully completed his move to the English Premier League with Nottingham Forest for a club record of £17.5Million fee, Felele247.com understands.
In 2013, Awoniyi was called up to represent Nigeria at the 2013 FIFA U17 World Cup, helping them win the tournament afrer scoring four goals during the competition. Two years later, the striker went on to represent Nigeria at the 2015 FIFA U20 World Cup, after winning the 2015 African U20 Championship in Senegal.
In April 2015, Awoniyi marked his Nigeria U23s debut with a brace against Zambia, as his team went on to qualify for the 2015 All African Games.
After spending five years at the Academy, Merseyside giants Liverpool came calling for Awoniyi in August 2015, completing a six-figure swoop for the Nigerian before sending him immediately out on loan to German second division side FSV Frankfurt.
In the summer of 2016, Awoniyi was recognised by his country once again, being selected by Nigeria for their 35-man provisional squad for the Rio Olympics.
After making 14 appearances for Frankfurt, Awoniyi joined Dutch outfit NEC Nijmegan on loan for the 2016-17 season, starting nine times in the Eredivisie as he continued to gain first team experience.
The following season, a loan move to Belgian side Royal Excel Mouscron materialised. The striker marked his first team debut with a goal after just 23 minutes against KSC Lokeren, and would go on to register 10 goals and seven assists in 31 appearances that campaign.
Awoniyi put pen to paper on a new long-term deal at Anfield in the summer of 2018 before heading back out on loan to Belgium to join Gent.
After making 22 appearances for the club, the striker’s loan was cut short in January, with Mouscron then swooping for his signature once again. Following an impressive second half of the season, he ended the season with 14 goals in 38 games.
Awoniyi’s first taste of German football came in 2019-20 with a season-long loan move to Mainz 05. After spending the majority of the campaign out through injury though, Union Berlin acquired his services on loan the following September.
Awoniyi registered five goals and four assists in 22 games for Union Berlin in 2020-21, the forward joined the Bundesliga club on a permanent deal last July.
Last season was Awoniyi’s most impressive season in front of goal, netting 20 goals in 43 appearances across all competitions.
15 of those goals came in 31 Bundesliga appearances, playing a pivotal role in helping Union qualify for their first Europa League finish in 21 years after finishing fifth.
The striker also made his international debut against the Central African Republic in October, before scoring his first international goal against Sudan in January.
Awoniyi now returns to England looking to write a new chapter with The Reds.
