The 24-year-old has signed a five-year contract at the City Ground and becomes Steve Cooper’s first signing of this window and Nottingham Forest’s first Premier League signing for 23 years.

Forest have broken their transfer record with the addition of Taiwo Awoniyi, the Nigeria international forward, who scored 20 goals for Union Berlin in all competitions last season and 15 in the Bundesliga.

Awoniyi has spent the last two seasons playing in the Bundesliga for Union Berlin, making 52 appearances in the league. 
“I’m very excited to be here at Nottingham Forest,” Awoniyi told Nottingham Forest’s media. “It’s always been my dream to play in the Premier League and 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.”

How will he fit in?

Awoniyi resembles former Forest loanee Keinan Davis as a striker. 

In a video shared on social media, you can see that Awoniyi is a tall, strong striker that makes key decisions well.

The forward drives his team forward on the counter-attack, times his pass well and makes a perfect run before taking the ball around the keeper and finishing. 

The 24-year-old was formidable up front for Union Berlin last season, scoring for fun. 

In 29 Bundesliga starts, Awoniyi scored 15 goals and registered one assist. Only Anthony Modeste, Christopher Nkunku, Erling Haaland, Patrick Schick, and Robert Lewandowski scored more in the Bundesliga last season than Awoniyi, who scored every 147 minutes.

The 24-year-old had 2.2 shots per game, whilst averaging one on target. Awoniyi also created four big chances in the Bundesliga last season, whilst registering 27 key passes. 

The Nigeria international also played in the UEFA Europa Conference League last season, scoring two goals in four starts.

Awoniyi, who plays with a direct approach when in possession of the ball, received quality service at Union for his goals, and it's safe to assume that players like Brennan Johnson at Forest will take pleasure in providing similar opportunities for the Nigerian.

How will Awoniyi fare in the Premier League?

For the past three seasons, Awoniyi has competed against professional footballers in the Bundesliga, with Mainz and Union Berlin, respectively.

Alphonso Davies, Mats Hummels, Dayot Upamecano, David Alaba and Lucas Hernandez are just some of the defenders he’s come up against.

However, Awoniyi has been a Premier League player before with Liverpool, albeit without making a senior appearance. The forward was loaned out a total of seven times by the Merseyside club for reasons that are believed to involve work permit issues.

Jürgen Klopp is said to still be a “huge admirer” of the forward and believes he can make an impact on English football. 

Awoniyi spent time working with the likes of Mo Salah, Sadio Mane, Robert Firmino, and other big names during his time at Liverpool before being loaned out, and appears to have picked up a few tips from the Premier League giants.

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Awoniyi has always wanted to play in the Premier League and despite the work permit issues with Liverpool, he has remained hopeful of playing in England.

“The Premier League is my dream. Everyone knows that, including here in the club," he told Kicker during an interview in February. "If I lived in England, it would be easier for my wife and child, and for myself because of the language. Also, my sister and a brother live there."

Signing a player of this calibre is the type of shrewd business we've come to expect from Forest in recent times, and the Reds will be relieved to have made their first Premier League signing.