Super Eagle Taiwo Awoniyi has completed a move to the newly-promoted Premier League side, Nottingham Forest for a club-record fee of £17m.
This results in Awoniyi returning to England on a five-year deal where he started his football career with Liverpool.
Awoniyi, who joined the Merseyside club Liverpool in 2015, spending most of the period away from England while processing various loan moves from Belgium down to Germany, saw him secure a permanent move to Union Berlin last season.
According to a report from Germany, the Super Eagle who made his debut in the national team on October 7, 2021, earning 4 caps and a goal scored in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against Sudan in Group D, was instrumental to Union Berlin’s last season success.
The forward, who turns 25 in August and is happy to return to England to play in the topflight division, said it was a dream come true, Sky Sport reported.
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He said, “It’s always been my dream to play in the Premier League.”
Awoniyi in last season’s campaign for Union Berlin, the club where he exhausted his last loan spell before making a permanent switch to Germany, scored 15 goals in 31 Bundesliga appearances. These results complemented the Iron Ones’ qualification for a UEFA Europa League next season.
However, he added that after he spoke with Forest boss Steve Cooper, he was impressed with the club which he claimed has a rich history.
The Super Eagle continued: “Having spoken to Steve Cooper about our ambitions and looking at Forest, with its great history, it’s a club that I want to be part of.”
Meanwhile, Cooper in a separate statement disclosed Nottingham Forest are excited to have overtaken other contending European clubs to snap up the player, who helped Union Berlin qualify for two consecutive UEFA competitions after 20 years.
He said, “There’s been a lot of interest in Taiwo from other Premier League clubs, and other clubs across Europe, so we’re delighted he’s chosen Nottingham Forest.
“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,” Forest’s boss added.
Awoniyi was an influential figure in the attack of the Iron Ones where he netted 15 times to become the sixth-highest goalscorer in the German Bundesliga last season.
