# Taiwo Awoniyi
**Taiwo Awoniyi** (full name Taiwo Micheal Awoniyi, born 1997 in Ilorin, Nigeria) is a Nigerian center-forward who plays for Coventry City in the Premier League. He made no Liverpool first-team appearances, established himself at Union Berlin, and spent four seasons at Nottingham Forest as their first signing after promotion to the Premier League in 2022; he scored 21 league goals across those four seasons, all but four before a serious abdominal injury in May 2025.[1](https://www.11v11.com/players/taiwo-awoniyi-261008/) • [3](https://theanalyst.com/players/4223/taiwo-awoniyi/career) • [18](https://www.premierleague.com/en/news/58731)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1997, Ilorin, Nigeria; 1.83 m, 84 kg[1](https://www.11v11.com/players/taiwo-awoniyi-261008/) |
| Position | Centre-forward (listed as midfielder/forward)[1](https://www.11v11.com/players/taiwo-awoniyi-261008/) |
| Clubs | Liverpool (2015–2021, loan spells at FSV Frankfurt, NEC Nijmegen, Mouscron twice, Gent, Mainz 05, Union Berlin); Union Berlin (2021–2022); Nottingham Forest (2022–2026); Coventry City (2026–)[2](https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/first-team/438414-taiwo-awoniyi-joins-union-berlin-in-permanent-move) • [3](https://theanalyst.com/players/4223/taiwo-awoniyi/career) |
| Forest league record | 90 Premier League appearances, 3,334 minutes, 21 goals, 5 assists (2022/23 to 2025/26)[3](https://theanalyst.com/players/4223/taiwo-awoniyi/career) |
| Best club season | 2021/22 Bundesliga with Union Berlin: 31 appearances, 15 goals (2 penalties)[3](https://theanalyst.com/players/4223/taiwo-awoniyi/career) |
| Nigeria | 11 senior caps, 2 goals (2021–); earlier 4 appearances, 2 goals and 2 assists at the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup[4](https://theanalyst.com/players/4223/taiwo-awoniyi/national/career) |
| Major injury | Abdominal injury from a collision with a post against Leicester City, 11 May 2025; urgent surgery and a medically induced coma[5](https://as.com/futbol/internacional/taiwo-awoniyi-en-coma-tras-una-operacion-de-urgencia-n/) |
## Early career and Liverpool years
Awoniyi joined Liverpool in the summer of 2015 as a teenager and spent the majority of his six years at the club out on loan at a series of European clubs.[2](https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/first-team/438414-taiwo-awoniyi-joins-union-berlin-in-permanent-move) The loan chain ran from FSV Frankfurt in the German second division (2015/16, 13 league appearances, 1 goal) to [NEC Nijmegen](https://www.edgepedia.org/nec-nijmegen) in the [Eredivisie](https://www.edgepedia.org/eredivisie) (2016/17, 2 goals), Royal Excel Mouscron in Belgium (2017/18, 7 league goals; 2018/19, 7 league goals plus 4 in the Europa League play-offs), KAA Gent, FSV Mainz 05, and finally Union Berlin.[3](https://theanalyst.com/players/4223/taiwo-awoniyi/career) • [1](https://www.11v11.com/players/taiwo-awoniyi-261008/)
He never made a competitive first-team appearance for Liverpool, and work-permit issues were part of the reason he could not establish himself there.[1](https://www.11v11.com/players/taiwo-awoniyi-261008/) In July 2021 Liverpool sold him permanently to Union Berlin, with the transfer fee recorded at €8.6 million.[2](https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/first-team/438414-taiwo-awoniyi-joins-union-berlin-in-permanent-move) • [6](https://www.footballtransfers.com/us/players/taiwo-michael-awoniyi/transfer-history)
## Breakthrough at Union Berlin
The 2021/22 season was his breakthrough. Awoniyi started 29 of Union Berlin's 31 [Bundesliga](https://www.edgepedia.org/bundesliga) matches, played 2,200 minutes, and scored 15 league goals (2 from the penalty spot) with 1 assist, adding 4 goals in 8 UEFA Conference League appearances.[3](https://theanalyst.com/players/4223/taiwo-awoniyi/career)
## Nottingham Forest
In June 2022 Nottingham Forest signed Awoniyi on a five-year contract for a reported club-record fee, put by sources with knowledge of the transfer at £17.2 million (€20 million).[1](https://www.11v11.com/players/taiwo-awoniyi-261008/)
His league output at Forest varied sharply by season:[3](https://theanalyst.com/players/4223/taiwo-awoniyi/career)
- **2022/23**: 27 appearances, 1,411 minutes, 10 goals, 1 assist.
- **2023/24**: 20 appearances, 1,045 minutes, 6 goals, 3 assists.
- **2024/25**: 26 appearances, only 397 minutes, 1 goal.
- **2025/26**: 17 appearances, 481 minutes, 4 goals, 1 assist.
Across the four seasons he totaled 90 league appearances, 3,334 minutes, 21 goals, and 5 assists, with 55 of those appearances as a substitute.[3](https://theanalyst.com/players/4223/taiwo-awoniyi/career) In April 2025 he came on as a 76th-minute substitute for [Chris Wood](https://www.edgepedia.org/chris-wood-footballer-born-1991) as Forest beat [Tottenham](https://www.edgepedia.org/tottenham) 2-1 in the club's push for a Champions League place.[7](https://download.thisdaylive.com/editions/2025/04/22.pdf)
**The May 2025 injury.** In Forest's 2-2 draw against Leicester City on 11 May 2025, Awoniyi collided heavily with a goalpost, received lengthy treatment, and stayed on the pitch to finish the match because Forest had used its substitutions.[5](https://as.com/futbol/internacional/taiwo-awoniyi-en-coma-tras-una-operacion-de-urgencia-n/) Doctors confirmed the seriousness of the abdominal injury the next day, he was taken to hospital, and he underwent urgent abdominal surgery; reports described the injury, a ruptured intestine, as potentially life-threatening if not caught in time.[5](https://as.com/futbol/internacional/taiwo-awoniyi-en-coma-tras-una-operacion-de-urgencia-n/) • [8](https://www.aftonbladet.se/a/KMmEO6) He was placed in a medically induced coma to aid recovery and later woke from it, with the club reporting that he was recovering well.[8](https://www.aftonbladet.se/a/KMmEO6) The episode, in which he played on after the collision while Forest chased a top-five finish, prompted a review of the offside law.[9](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/nottingham-forest-season-preview-202526)
He returned to action in 2025/26 and scored again in important moments, including the 87th-minute goal that completed Forest's first league win under coach Vitor Pereira, a 3-0 result at Tottenham that lifted Forest above Spurs in the relegation fight.[10](https://apnews.com/article/76667271281836d609ca415c329337ae) In January 2026 his goal, alongside Igor Jesus's, proved decisive in a Forest win.[11](https://parikiaki-cdn-1.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/04165153/Parikiaki_29.01.2026.pdf)
## Nigeria
Awoniyi debuted for Nigeria in October 2021 and has 11 senior caps and 2 goals.[4](https://theanalyst.com/players/4223/taiwo-awoniyi/national/career) He played at the 2021 [Africa Cup of Nations](https://www.edgepedia.org/africa-cup-of-nations) finals, where Nigeria beat Egypt and Sudan in Group D before losing to Tunisia in the round of 16, and appeared in AFCON qualifying through 2024.[1](https://www.11v11.com/players/taiwo-awoniyi-261008/) He was named in Nigeria's AFCON squad lists, and at youth level he scored 2 goals with 2 assists in 4 matches at the 2015 [FIFA U-20 World Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/fifa-u-20-world-cup).[4](https://theanalyst.com/players/4223/taiwo-awoniyi/national/career) • [12](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/every-player-expected-to-miss-premier-league-fixtures-due-to-afcon-this-season)
## Move to Coventry City
His start at Coventry was difficult. He made 4 league appearances totaling 234 minutes without scoring, and he was sent off against Brighton & Hove Albion in September 2026 as Coventry lost their first four matches of the season without scoring a goal.[3](https://theanalyst.com/players/4223/taiwo-awoniyi/career) • [14](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/team/frank-lampard-is-safe-despite-coventry-citys-horror-start-doug-king-knows-better-than-to-lose-his-nerve) In the League Cup he scored 1 goal with 1 assist in a single 70-minute appearance.[3](https://theanalyst.com/players/4223/taiwo-awoniyi/career)
## Playing style
Scouting assessments describe Awoniyi as a strong, powerful striker with excellent hold-up play, good upper-body strength that makes him hard to dispossess, and aggressive pressing best suited to direct football; he is quick and explosive over the first 10 to 15 yards.[15](https://media.journoportfolio.com/users/481735/uploads/91d68ccf-edf6-4211-9c9c-22db3cffe173.pdf) His career has been repeatedly interrupted by injuries, including the 2025 abdominal trauma and a calf problem that sidelined him during the 2024/25 season, and recurrent injuries have been described as blighting his development.[16](https://nbmofafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/15-07-2024_compressed.pdf) Away from football he has spoken about working different jobs, including as a bricklayer, while growing up in Nigeria on his way to the Premier League.[17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRSMQ3zGsgU)
## References
1. [Taiwo Awoniyi Football Player Statistics, 11v11.com](https://www.11v11.com/players/taiwo-awoniyi-261008/)
2. [Taiwo Awoniyi joins Union Berlin in permanent move, Liverpool FC](https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/first-team/438414-taiwo-awoniyi-joins-union-berlin-in-permanent-move)
3. [Taiwo Awoniyi Career History, Opta Analyst](https://theanalyst.com/players/4223/taiwo-awoniyi/career)
4. [Taiwo Awoniyi International Career History, Opta Analyst](https://theanalyst.com/players/4223/taiwo-awoniyi/national/career)
5. [Taiwo Awoniyi, en coma tras una operación de urgencia, Diario AS](https://as.com/futbol/internacional/taiwo-awoniyi-en-coma-tras-una-operacion-de-urgencia-n/)
6. [Taiwo Awoniyi Transfer History, FootballTransfers](https://www.footballtransfers.com/us/players/taiwo-michael-awoniyi/transfer-history)
7. [ThisDay, 22 April 2025 edition](https://download.thisdaylive.com/editions/2025/04/22.pdf)
8. [Premier League-spelaren har vaknat ur koma, Aftonbladet](https://www.aftonbladet.se/a/KMmEO6)
9. [Nottingham Forest Season Preview 2025-26, FourFourTwo](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/nottingham-forest-season-preview-202526)
10. [Man City dominates Arsenal to win English League Cup, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/76667271281836d609ca415c329337ae)
11. [Parikiaki, 29 January 2026 edition](https://parikiaki-cdn-1.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/04165153/Parikiaki_29.01.2026.pdf)
12. [Every player expected to miss Premier League fixtures due to AFCON, FourFourTwo](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/every-player-expected-to-miss-premier-league-fixtures-due-to-afcon-this-season)
13. [Taiwo Awoniyi transfer: Coventry City agree £17m deal, Nottingham Forest News](https://nottinghamforest.football/2026/08/17/taiwo-awoniyi-transfer-coventry-city-nottingham-forest/)
14. [Frank Lampard is safe despite Coventry City's horror start, FourFourTwo](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/team/frank-lampard-is-safe-despite-coventry-citys-horror-start-doug-king-knows-better-than-to-lose-his-nerve)
15. [Football scouting worldwide: team assessment, Will Rees](https://media.journoportfolio.com/users/481735/uploads/91d68ccf-edf6-4211-9c9c-22db3cffe173.pdf)
16. [Nigerian Tribune, 15 July 2024 edition](https://nbmofafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/15-07-2024_compressed.pdf)
17. [Working as a bricklayer & life in Nigeria | Taiwo Awoniyi, Nottingham Forest FC (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRSMQ3zGsgU)
18. [premierleague.com](https://www.premierleague.com/en/news/58731)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Men's footballers of Africa › West African footballers › Nigerian footballers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license