After securing his big money move from Union Berlin to the then newly promoted Nottingham Forest side, Taiwo Awoniyi endured a difficult start to life in the Premier League.
After an impressive spell in the Bundesliga, the Tricky Trees broke the bank to sign the Nigerian international for a club record fee of £17 million.
Awoniyi, then 25, signed a five-year deal with the Premier League newcomers tutored by Welshman, Steve Cooper.
After completing the move, it didn't take long for the Super Eagles striker to announce his presence in the Premiership as he scored his first Premier League goal against West Ham United on August 14, 2022.
Despite struggling to find his feet in arguably the most competitive league in the world, Awoniyi scored one of the most important goals for Forest against his former side Liverpool.
It was a sweet revenge against Jurgen Kloop's men who lost to a lone goal by a man who was in their books from 2015-2021.
Awoniyi suffered a dip in form in the subsequent matches as he struggled to adapt to the intensity of the Premier League.
He returned to the score sheet at the turn of the year as he scored the only goal in Forest's 1-0 win over Southampton at the Saint Mary's on January 4.
Despite scoring the all-important goal for his side, Awoniyi sustained an injury and couldn't continue the rest of the game. He spent a couple of weeks on sidelines as his side struggle to pick up points.
His renaissance begun at the tail end of last season as he banged 6 Premier League goals in 4 matches, including a crucial home win against title contenders Arsenal to pull his side clear off the relegation zone.
In all, he managed 10 Premier League goals in 27 appearances last season for the Tricky Trees.
As the new season is well and truly underway, Awoniyi picked up from where he left off last term scoring in his first three PL games against Arsenal, Sheffield and Manchester United.
Taiwo Awoniyi has that aura ???? pic.twitter.com/MLXV3rFkfv
— Premier League (@premierleague) August 30, 2023
He became the first ever Forest player to score in seven consecutive Premier League appearances beating Stan Collymore's record in 1995.
Also, he became the third African player to score in seven consecutive PL games after Emmanuel Adebayor in 2007/08 season and Mohammed Salah in the 2021/22 season.
Taiwo Awoniyi is the third African player in Premier League history to score in seven consecutive matches ????????@NFFC pic.twitter.com/AD7aoBJxa9
— Premier League (@premierleague) August 26, 2023
Despite not finding the back of the net against Chelsea at the Stamford Bridge, Awoniyi provided a sublime assist that helped his side to a 1-0 win over the Blues.
When Taiwo Awoniyi steps on the pitch, he respects no player.
— POOJA!!! (@PoojaMedia) September 2, 2023
See how he perforated legend Thiago Silva.
It was so SWEET ???? pic.twitter.com/ezg7lVKxuG
Awoniyi's impressive start to the new PL season has earned him Player of The Month nomination alongside Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), James Maddison (Tottenham), Bryan Mbeumo (Brentford), Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton), Rodri (Man City).
Taiwo Awoniyi has been nominated for Premier League Player of the Month, let’s bring this home! ????????????
— LERRY (@_AsiwajuLerry) September 7, 2023
Repost and use the link below to Vote for Taiwo Awoniyi
Here: https://t.co/fEceDlz6LI pic.twitter.com/xeqgJ1uSwe
Awoniyi has earned the praise of his new teammate Anthony Elanga who joined the Tricky Trees from Manchester United this summer.
“He deserves all the credit he is getting because of the work he puts in training – not a lot of people see it – he scores a lot of goals in training,” Elanga said of the Nigerian international.
“He deserves it when he scores in games.
“It is a pleasure to work him because I feel like I have got a good connection with him – the first game linking up with him for the goal against Arsenal. He is someone that is always lively - with the ball, without the ball, in the box, outside the box. He always wants to create something. It is a pleasure to play with him because he makes my job easier.”
Awoniyi is currently on national duty with the Super Eagles as Nigeria prepares for their last AFCON qualifier against Sao Tome and Principe.
WDN/NBA
