Taiwo Awoniyi’s four-year journey with Nottingham Forest has come to an end, but the Nigerian striker leaves the City Ground with more than 100 appearances, important goals and a collection of milestones that have secured his place in the club’s recent Premier League history.
Forest confirmed on Monday that Awoniyi had completed a permanent move to Coventry City, ending a spell that began in 2022 when he arrived from Union Berlin following the club’s promotion back to the Premier League.
Across 103 appearances, the Super Eagles forward scored 23 goals and supplied five assists. those numbers only tell part of the story.
Awoniyi arrived as a club record signing, became a key figure in Forest’s battle for Premier League survival and produced one of the most remarkable scoring streaks in the club’s modern top-flight history.
Taiwo Awoniyi has left Nottingham Forest for Coventry City after four years. PhotoCrefdit: Imago
Here are five records and milestones that define his Forest legacy.
1. Forest’s club-record signing
Awoniyi arrived in Nottingham with a significant price tag.
Forest paid £17.5 million to Union Berlin for the striker in 2022, making him the club’s most expensive signing at the time and their first addition following their return to the Premier League.
It was a major statement of intent from a club preparing for life back in the topflight.
2. He became the first Forest player to score in his first three Premier League starts
Awoniyi’s first Premier League campaign produced an unforgettable moment against Liverpool.
Forest defeated the Reds 1-0 at the City Ground in October 2022, with Awoniyi scoring against the club that had signed him as a teenager but for whom he never made a first team appearance.
The goal carried an obvious personal significance, but it also formed part of a remarkable start to his Forest career.
Awoniyi became the first Nottingham Forest player to score in each of his first three Premier League starts. It was an immediate indication that the Nigerian could thrive at the highest level.
3. He matched Stan Collymore with a six-game scoring streak
Awoniyi’s goalscoring reached another level in 2023. He scored in six consecutive Premier League appearances, a sequence that stretched from May 8, 2023 into the opening weeks of the following campaign.
His goals during the run came against Arsenal, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Sheffield United, Manchester United and Chelsea again.
That put him alongside Stan Collymore, who had achieved the same feat for Forest in 1995.
There was an additional landmark at the time, the six-game streak is the longest scoring run by a Nigerian player in Premier League history.
4. He extended the Forest record to seven consecutive Premier League games
Awoniyi was not finished after scoring against Manchester United in August 2023, he extended his run to seven consecutive Premier League appearances with a goal.
That made him the first Nottingham Forest player to score in seven straight Premier League appearances.
At the time, he also became only the third African player to achieve the feat, joining Mohamed Salah and Emmanuel Adebayor.
It remains one of the defining individual scoring streaks of Forest’s modern Premier League era.
5. Six goals in four games helped save Forest from relegation
Perhaps the most important of Awoniyi’s Forest milestones was not simply a record but the timing of his goals.
With Forest fighting for Premier League survival during the closing stages of the 2022/23 season, Awoniyi produced a spectacular run of form, scoring six goals in the club’s final four league matches.
The most significant came against Arsenal his goal secured a 1-0 victory at the City Ground and, in the process, confirmed Forest’s survival in the Premier League.
It was the kind of contribution that transformed a promising signing into a player supporters would remember.
Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis acknowledged Awoniyi’s importance when paying tribute to the departing striker.
“Taiwo will always have a special place in the history of Nottingham Forest. He has been one of the defining figures in our journey and given our supporters moments of great joy that will never be forgotten.”
Marinakis also praised the Nigerian’s resilience, determination and character during his time at the club.
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Awoniyi leaves Forest after four years in which his career in England was marked by goals, setbacks, comebacks and moments of genuine significance.
His 103 appearances and 23 goals will form part of the statistical record, but his legacy is more closely tied to the moments when Forest needed him most.
He arrived as a club-record signing after promotion and helped establish himself in the Premier League.
He scored against Liverpool in a victory that carried personal significance, produced a seven game scoring streak and played a decisive role in keeping Forest in the topflight. Now, at Coventry City, Awoniyi begins another chapter.
