The 2022/23 season is set to be a pivotal one for Taiwo Awoniyi at Nottingham Forest.
We assess the lay of the land and look ahead: what factors could influence how things pan out for the Nigeria international?
Review of 2021/22
After a promising but truncated initial 2020/21 season on loan, Taiwo Awoniyi truly came into his own at Union Berlin after completing a permanent transfer. Perhaps there is a lesson there about the benefits of putting down roots for young players.
ALSO READ
Taiwo Awoniyi Profile, Age, Salary, Net Worth, Girlfriend, House, Cars, Pictures, Latest News
Why have the goals dried up for Super Eagles striker Taiwo Awoniyi?
The former Liverpool man scored 18 goals and assisted two across all competitions for Union, establishing himself as a cult hero in the process and boosting the club to a Europa League finish. That performance level did not go unnoticed, as newly-promoted Nottingham Forest paid a club record fee to beef up their squad for the upcoming Premier League season.
State of play
Awoniyi has been received with great joy, and looks a solid fit for the Nottingham Forest system. He will ostensibly take the role on the left of their front two, which often splits wide in pressing moments, and will link up with Brennan Johnson and the newly-acquired Jesse Lingard at the top of the pitch.
There is a small concern, however, that he has yet to find the back of the net during preseason. While he has shown his aptitude for work without the ball and Forest are minded to be patient with him, a good old-fashioned goal to get the machine running again would not hurt.
Big question: Is the Premier League a step too far?
A huge part of the motivation for this move was Awoniyi’s eagerness to prove he can hang at Premier League level. He was never able to get his Liverpool career up and running on account of work permit rules, but even with that it is unlikely he would have played with any regularity for the Reds anyway.
However, admirable as it is that he has challenged himself, it is worth wondering whether this is not a step too far, too soon. As we established, last season was the first time since his initial signing for Liverpool in 2015 that Awoniyi was not out on loan. An extended run of stability, within a system optimised for his benefit, would not have hurt at all, especially as it would have come with European football attached.
Instead, a relegation scrap awaits this season. If Awoniyi fails to deliver, he will not have a bank of goodwill to draw from to buy him time. More crucially, he could find himself playing in the Championship in 12 months.
What can he improve?
Control of the ball. This is partly the reason Awoniyi needs to be paired with someone upfront: he simply is incapable of receiving and protecting the ball on a consistent basis.
Coming into a tougher league with less space for forwards to operate in, this is an area where Awoniyi will need to improve very quickly in order to be successful.
What would constitute a good season?
His transfer valuation means there will be a willingness on the part of Nottingham Forest to make it work. As such, the most important single thing this season will be for the club to avoid relegation somehow. Of course, if they do, it will likely owe a lot to their centre-forward getting on the scoresheet anyway, so there is a bit of chicken and egg here. For a young forward coming into a new league, and considering the work that has been done around quantifying ‘Bundesliga tax’ (the convention is 17%), 12-15 goals would be a strong return.
Goals: >12 (Premier League)
Assists: 5 (Premier League)