Done deal: Super Eagles star completes club-record move to the Premier League

The Nigeria international teams up with several of his compatriots in the world’s most glamorous league, taking a big step towards realising a childhood dream

Newly-promoted side Nottingham Forest have completed the signing of Taiwo Awoniyi from Union Berlin in a club-record move after the former Liverpool striker passed a medical.

According to reports, Forest paid £17.5 million (€20.5 million) for the Nigerian international, making him the club’s most expensive signing ever, surpassing the £13.5m spent on Joao Carvalho in 2018.

The deal hands Awoniyi a second chance at fulfilling his childhood dream of playing in the English Premier League, failing to make a single appearance in his first attempt.

The 24-year-old began his senior career at Liverpool in 2015 but never played a single minute for the Reds. He was loaned out a staggering seven times to various clubs in Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium before leaving Anfield last year.

Union Berlin paid just under £6m for Awoniyi at the time, choosing to re-sign the former Golden Eaglets star following a decent loan spell the previous season.

And repaying Union Berlin’s faith in him, Awoniyi smashed 20 goals and provided five assists in 43 games for Union last season, helping the Iron Ones’ to a best-ever Bundesliga finish of fifth.

Awoniyi also ended up as the German top-flight’s sixth top goal scorer, an impressive feat considering some of the names ahead of him were Robert Lewandowski, Erling Haaland, and Christopher Nkunku.