Liverpool invested lots into Taiwo Awoniyi, however his success within the Premier League has solely come after he was offered – earlier than he had an opportunity to debut!
Awoniyi’s transfer to Merseyside from the Imperial Soccer Academy in 2015 got here out of the left-field, however it’s testomony to the membership’s scouting community.
Work allow points led to seven loans in six years, and the Nigerian ultimately took off within the Bundesliga with Union Berlin – after a brief spell in 2020/21, he was offered to the German membership that summer season.
The deal went by means of whereas Awoniyi was with the Liverpool first workforce for pre-season in Austria, denying him the debut he had longed for.
After 20 targets in 43 video games for Union, the Premier League dream got here true with a £17.5 million change to Nottingham Forest final summer season – and he proved essential to their battle in opposition to relegation.
Awoniyi performed 30 instances for Forest this season, scoring 11 targets and laying on one help, with six targets in his final 4 video games.
Per FBRef, no participant throughout the Premier League loved a greater conversion price than the 25-year-old, who scored a objective for each 3.5 photographs (excluding penalties).
Jadon Sancho (3.5) is the one participant to equal Awoniyi’s document, which is increased than the remainder of the highest 5 in Roberto Firmino (3.6), Erling Haaland (4.0) and Abdoulaye Doucoure (4.0).
It must be famous, after all, {that a} groin harm restricted the previous Liverpool striker’s sport time, having solely performed 1,411 minutes within the league.
However that he was nonetheless capable of finding the again of the online 10 instances in 27 league video games suggests he may solely enhance if he is ready to preserve his health subsequent outing.
Awoniyi scored in eight completely different Premier League video games this season and put Forest 1-0 up in every of these.
In accordance with Opta, that was probably the most for a newly promoted membership since Andy Johnson for Crystal Palace in 2004/05 (9).
8 – Taiwo Awoniyi has scored in eight Premier League video games this season and has put Nottingham Forest 1-0 up in every match. The final participant to open the scoring extra instances in a single season for a newly promoted membership was Andrew Johnson with Crystal Palace in 2004-05 (9). Instance. pic.twitter.com/JmNdPba2eb
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 28, 2023
4 of his targets proved to be match-winners, with solely seven netting extra throughout the English high flight: Harry Kane (11), Marcus Rashford (10), Haaland (10), Mo Salah (seven), Ivan Toney (six), Kai Havertz (5) and Gabriel Martinelli (5).
That included his objective within the 1-0 win over his former membership in October, in addition to within the 1-0 victory over Arsenal that secured Forest’s survival.
Liverpool obtained round £1.5 million of the payment Forest paid Union final summer season, on account of a sell-on clause agreed upon his £6.5 million change from Anfield to Berlin.
General, it represented a £7.5 million revenue upon their preliminary funding in 2015 – however now Jurgen Klopp and his workers could also be questioning whether or not it was sensible to promote in any case.
