Club record signing Taiwo Awoniyi could prove to be a bargain for Nottingham Forest, with the forward tipped to make his mark in the Premier League.
The Reds shelled out £17.5m to secure the services of the 24-year-old from Union Berlin. He became their first arrival of the summer as he put pen to paper on a five-year deal at the weekend.
It marks a return to English football for Awoniyi, who began his professional career with Liverpool. And former Forest ace Stan Collymore has backed him to impress in the Garibaldi.
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Writing in his column for the Sunday People, Collymore said: “I’m not a betting man – gambling’s one of the few vices I’ve never had, thankfully – but I do like Nottingham Forest’s punt on Union Berlin’s Taiwo Awoniyi. The Nigeria star has already had a taste of English football after signing for Liverpool in 2015, but was farmed out on loan to Germany and Belgium before finding a home in Berlin.
“At 24, after scoring 15 goals in 30 games last season, the time is now right for him to find a club at which he can shine and I can’t think of a better place to be the top man than at Forest. With his skill, pace and confidence, he could prove to be a snip, even at £17.5million.”
Awoniyi enjoyed a fine 2021/22 campaign in Germany, attracting plenty of interest as he netted 20 goals in 43 appearances in all competitions. The Nigeria international had loan spells at FSV Frankfurt, NEC, Royal Excel Mouscron, Gent, Mainz 05 and Union Berlin during his time at Anfield, joining the latter permanently last July.
Boss Steve Cooper said of the new arrival: “There’s been a lot of interest in Taiwo from other Premier League clubs, and other clubs across Europe, so we’re delighted that he’s chosen Nottingham Forest. Our recruitment and coaching teams have been monitoring his progress closely over the last few months. He’s a player who we really believe in and we look forward to him going on to fulfil his potential and become a top Premier League striker with Nottingham Forest.”
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