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25 June, 2022

Awoniyi becomes record signing

On this day in 2022 Forest sign Taiwo Awoniyi as a club-record signing.

Player legacies

Major player signing
Taiwo Awoniyi, former Forest player.
Taiwo Awoniyi, former Forest player. Image: Steffen Prößdorf / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Taiwo Awoniyi’s arrival from Union Berlin gave Forest a club-record signing at the start of their Premier League return.

The move came after promotion, when the club needed to build a squad capable of competing in the top flight. Forest paid a club-record fee reported at around £17m to £17.5m, investing heavily in a striker with recent Bundesliga experience.

Taiwo Awoniyi, former Forest player.
Taiwo Awoniyi, former Forest player. Image: Steffen Prößdorf / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

For supporters, the signing carried excitement and uncertainty in equal measure. Premier League survival was the immediate challenge, and a record signing naturally became part of the question of whether Forest could adapt quickly enough.

Awoniyi’s later contribution gave the transfer a stronger place in club memory. He scored the goal against Arsenal that secured Premier League survival in 2023, turning a major signing into a player directly connected with staying up.

That survival goal changed how the transfer was remembered. Awoniyi had arrived as a record buy, but he became more than a financial landmark. He became the striker whose finish helped keep Forest in the Premier League.

First Interview

Sources

Nottingham Forest official site; BBC Sport; Sky Sports

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On this day in …
2022
Awoniyi becomes record signing

Taiwo Awoniyi’s arrival from Union Berlin gave Forest a club-record signing at the start of their Premier League return. The move came after promotion,…

Player legacies