AFTER becoming Nottingham Forest’s then-club record signing last June, expectations were rather high ahead of Taiwo Awoniyi’s return to the Premier League. The former Liverpool player had failed to make an appearance for the Reds due to an inability to secure a work permit, although his reputation had sky-rocketed following a fruitful two-year spell with Union Berlin.
The Nigeria international scored 15 Bundesliga goals across the 2021-22 campaign, prompting Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper to make Awoniyi his first signing upon the club’s promotion to the Premier League. And things appeared to have hit the ground running for Awoniyi following his arrival at the City Ground. The striker netted Forest’s first Premier League goal of the season in a 1-0 win over West Ham – earning the Tricky Trees their first victory in the top-flight since 1999.
Yet things soon began to toil for Awoniyi and Nottingham Forest. Various doubts had been cast over the signing of the striker midway through the campaign as he struggled to nail down a starting berth in the side. Cooper’s side became embroiled in a relegation battle for much of the campaign, with Awoniyi missing a large chunk of the season due to a groin injury. Upon the 26-year-old’s return from the sidelines at the start of April, Forest sat just two points above the bottom three, while their 24 goals scored in 31 games was the joint-lowest in the division (alongside already-relegated Southampton).
Therefore, Awoniyi’s burst into form was a much-needed lifeline for the stuttering Reds. Cooper’s side scored 14 goals in their remaining seven games – over a third of their end of season tally. And the Nigeria international was at the forefront of this upturn in goalscoring prowess, recording six goals in their last seven league games. In that run, the forward scored twice to help Forest overcome Southampton 4-3, before notching a brace against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in a 2-2 draw. Awoniyi ended the campaign as the club’s top scorer with 10 goals in the Premier League, while Forest steered clear of relegation by finishing four points clear of the drop.
The striker developed into a real asset for Cooper’s side, recording 0.29 goals per shot in the Premier League last season – the joint-third highest figure in the division. He also ranked inside the top 10 for goals per 90 minutes across the Premier League with an impressive tally of 0.64, over double of any Nottingham Forest player (Sam Surridge next-best with 0.29 goals per 90). In many ways it was the perfect full-circle season for Awoniyi, scoring the Red’s first goal of the campaign – and also their last, in the 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace on the final day.
And the striker has shown that last season’s superb end to the season was no flash in the pan – continuing the current one in much the same vein. After scoring in each of Forest’s final four Premier League games last term, Awoniyi has scored in the opening two matches this season. With that sparkling run, he has equalled Stan Collymore’s record for scoring in sixth consecutive Premier League games for Nottingham Forest between March and April 1995. While he could also become just the third African player to score in seven Premier League matches in a row – after Emmanuel Adebayor (Dec 2007 – Feb 2008, Arsenal) and Mohamed Salah (Aug – Oct 2021, Liverpool).
Yet that will be no easy feat for Awoniyi as Forest face a tough test in Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday. The Tricky Trees’ away record has left a lot to be desired since their promotion to the top-flight last season. They have recorded just one win on their travels – the outright fewest of any ever-present side in the Premier League since the start of 2022-23. Although promising signs emerged in the closing stages of Cooper’s charges’ defeat at Arsenal on the opening day of this campaign. A lightning-quick counter-attack from an Arsenal corner saw Awoniyi and Anthony Elanga burst through the Gunners’ defence before Awoniyi guided home the latter’s driven pass.
After his goalscoring cameo off the bench against Arsenal, Awoniyi was rewarded with a starting spot in the Red’s second league game, at home to Sheffield United. And the 26-year-old more than paid back his manager’s faith – scoring a terrific header after just three minutes as the East Midlands side picked up their first victory of the season. Forest have boasted a 31%-win rate across all competitions with Awoniyi in the side, as opposed to 20% without him – suggesting that the striker will be vital to the Tricky Trees’ bid for survival once more. And the former bricklayer has built the foundations to do just that.
