Nottingham Forest signs Taiwo Awoniyi from Union Berlin
FILE - Union's Taiwo Awoniyi plays the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between 1. FC Union Berlin and FC Bayern Munich in Berlin, Germany, Oct. 30, 2021. Nottingham Forest has signed Awoniyi after paying a club-record transfer fee to Union Berlin, making the Nigerian its first international signing since returning to the Premier League. The 24-year-old Awoniyi signed a five-year contract after Forest paid the Bundesliga club a fee reported to be around 17 million pounds ($21 million) it was announced Saturday, June 25, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, file) FILE - Union's Taiwo Awoniyi plays the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between 1. FC Union Berlin and FC Bayern Munich in Berlin, Germany, Oct. 30, 2021. Nottingham Forest has signed Awoniyi after paying a club-record transfer fee to Union Berlin, making the Nigerian its first international signing since returning to the Premier League. The 24-year-old Awoniyi signed a five-year contract after Forest paid the Bundesliga club a fee reported to be around 17 million pounds ($21 million) it was announced Saturday, June 25, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, file) NOTTINGHAM, England (AP) — Nottingham Forest has signed forward Taiwo Awoniyi after paying a club-record transfer fee to Union Berlin, making the Nigerian its first international signing since returning to the Premier League. The 24-year-old Awoniyi signed a five-year contract after Forest paid the Bundesliga club a fee reported to be around 17 million pounds ($21 million). Forest announced Saturday it was a record fee but didn’t specify the amount. Awoniyi, who had joined Liverpool as a teenager before going out on loan, scored 20 goals in 43 games for Union last season. “It’s always been my dream to play in the Premier League and having spoken to (manager) Steve Cooper about our ambitions and looking at Forest, with its great history, it’s a club that I want to be part of,” Awoniyi said of his move to the City Ground. Awoniyi, who made his Nigeria debut last year, had joined Union on loan during the 2020-21 season and made the move permanent last July. “He’s a player who we really believe in and we look forward to him going on to fulfill his potential and become a top Premier League striker with Nottingham Forest,” Cooper said. ___ More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Why Nottingham Forest made Taiwo Awoniyi their record signing
Steve Cooper has never been afraid to make big calls. But one of his biggest decisions tells a significant story. In the Championship play-off final at Wembley last month, Nottingham Forest manager Cooper opted to replace striker Sam Surridge — who had done a more than decent job in previous games — in the starting line-up with a fit-again Keinan Davis. Aston Villa forward Davis had established himself as a key figure in the second half of the season, after joining on loan. And Cooper believed his blend of power, pace and intelligence would make him a vital focal point, at the head of the team, as Forest fought Huddersfield Town for promotion. And as they prepare for life in the Premier League, thanks to that 1-0 win in north London, those same qualities are viewed as being crucial assets by Cooper as he looks to assemble a side which can compete in the top flight. The former Swansea City manager remains a big fan of Davis but Forest also believe they have landed an upgrade with the signing of Taiwo Awoniyi. The Nigeria international has signed a five-year contract following a £17.5 million move from the Bundesliga’s Union Berlin. That fee makes him comfortably Forest’s record buy, beating the £13.2 million spent on Joao Carvalho in 201
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