According to Transfermarkt, Awoniyi’s value has fallen from €30 million to €22 million, which is equivalent to ₦13.6 billion.

His reduced role in the team, primarily due to Chris Wood’s rise as the preferred forward, has raised questions about his future at the club.

Injury Woes and the Rise of Chris Wood

Awoniyi has faced several injury setbacks since joining Forest, which led to the signing of Wood from Newcastle as a backup.

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However, Wood’s impressive form has propelled him to the top of the striker pecking order. The New Zealand international has netted 10 goals in the 2024-25 season, which makes him Forest’s current top scorer.

“It’s his fitness, his confidence, and he is looking for his goal. Everything changes in the mindset of a striker when you score; suddenly everything comes. We are waiting for this click. We trust him,” Espirito Santo said.

 

The former Porto FC goalkeeper continued, explaining the club’s efforts to boost the Super Eagles star’s game time.

“What we have been trying with Taiwo is to increase his game time. Unfortunately, if I look back, going into the previous (October) international break, he played and then immediately went with his national team and played five minutes. That was a step back.”

Forest Ready to Listen to Offers

Amid ongoing struggles, it now appears that Forest are open to listening to offers for Awoniyi, with reports suggesting that the Nigerian forward is growing frustrated with his situation at the club.

According to Talk Forest, the club is prepared to entertain offers for Awoniyi. Despite previous links to other Premier League clubs, including West Ham, a move to the Hammers seems unlikely after they secured Niklas Fullkrug during the summer transfer window.

The former Chelsea wing-back started in a more advanced role at the Gtech Community Stadium as Nuno Espirito Santo opted to field a back-three, leaving Ola Aina and Neco Williams to roam forward as wing-backs.

Thomas Frank’s side started the game on the front foot with Bryan Mbeumo trying severally to create a chance from the right-wing, before an early chance by Chris Wood woke the Reds as his attempt was saved by Mark Flekken.

The away side went up in the 32nd minute courtesy of a brilliant strike from Ola Aina. Neco Williams sent a cross that went across the Brentford six-yard box before the Nigerian then knocked the ball into the bottom corner for his second goal of the season.

Ola Aina donne l’avantage à Nottingham Forest ! #PremierLeague #PL #GoalsOfTheDay pic.twitter.com/u7XPYhrrga

— VOOsport (@VOOsport) December 21, 2024

Antony Elanga scored Forest’s second six minutes after the restart. The Sweden International pounced on a poor touch from Keane Lewis-Potter before going on a solo run to round a left-footed curler into Flekken’s goal.

ANTHONY ELANGA (2002) DOUBLES THE LEAD WITH A SOLO GOLAZO!!!
@GoalsXtrapic.twitter.com/jbiKldy4lx

— Football Report (@FootballReprt) December 21, 2024

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Elanga’s goal ensured Nottingham Forest will be spending Christmas in the Premier League top-four for the first time in thirty years.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side took their foot off the gas with about twenty minutes to play as the Portuguese tactician withdrew Antony Elanga and Morgan Gibbs-White to shore up his side defensively.

It has been exactly 366 days since the former Tottenham Hotspur manager took over the reins at the City Ground and he’s taken them from the lower half of the Premier League table to potentially qualifying for European competitions when the season comes to an end, a testament of his good work so far.

Brentford go back to the drawing board after their first home loss today. The Bees are currently without an away win in the English top-flight this season.

The Nigerian forward, who joined Forest during the summer transfer window in 2022, has struggled to reclaim his starting spot following the impressive form of New Zealand striker Chris Wood. Under Espirito Santo’s guidance, Wood has emerged as a key player, which has relegated Awoniyi to a secondary role.

Wood, initially signed on loan from Newcastle to cover for Forest’s injury woes, has capitalised on Awoniyi’s fitness struggles to further firm his position as the team’s first-choice striker.

Currently, Emmanuel Dennis is the only other backup option for Forest, prompting the club to prioritise signing another striker in the January transfer window.

According to Football Fancast, Forest are eyeing Brighton’s Evan Ferguson as a potential target, which further casts doubt on Awoniyi’s future at the club.

Despite this, Espirito Santo has previously expressed confidence in Awoniyi’s abilities and remains optimistic about his progress. However, he noted how injuries and international commitments have hindered the striker’s return to form.

“It’s his fitness, his confidence, and he is looking for his goal. Everything changes in the mindset of a striker when you score; suddenly, everything comes. We are waiting for this click. We trust him.

What we have been trying with Taiwo is to increase his game time. Unfortunately, if I look back, going into the previous (October) international break, he played and then immediately went with his national team and played five minutes. That was a step back,” Espirito Santo said.

Meanwhile, on the contrary, former Manchester City defender Stuart Pearce has praised the Red’s attacking depth, describing Awoniyi as a reliable backup for the in-form Chris Wood.

“And Chris Wood is scoring goals, which is fantastic for the club as well. He is having a halcyon period in his career,” Pearce said. “If he’s not fit, Taiwo Awoniyi did well last season so can step in for him. The bottom line is they’ve got threat on the counterattack with pace and two goalscorers at the point of the team,” Pearce added.

However, with Forest targeting another striker, it seems the club is shifting their focus away from relying solely on Awoniyi’s fitness this season.

The 28-year-old versatile defender moved to the City Ground after his deal with Serie A side, Torino, expired in 2023. He penned a one-year contract with Forest, with the option to extend for another year included.

The extension clause was triggered in May, extending the wing-back’s stay with Nuno Espirito Santo’s side for another year, which will keep him at the club till May.

With the player free to enter pre-contract agreements with any clubs from the start of next year, Nottingham Forest are in advanced discussions with defender Ola Aina over a contract extension.

As per The Athletic, the former Chelsea man is expected to secure a significant pay rise as part of the prospective deal, which will reflect his impact since joining the club in 2023. Several weeks of negotiations are now close to a positive conclusion.

The versatile Aina has featured in all of The Reds’ games in the English Premier League this season, scoring one goal and getting involved in Forest’s great start in the English top-flight.

Serie A giants, AC Milan, are also interested in Aina’s services, but with an extension agreement in the works, the two-time UEFA Champions League winners hope to fend off the smoke from Paulo Fonseca’s side.

The Forest pair are products of the famous Chelsea Cobham football academy, and have been club teammates since last year. The duo got on the scoresheet yesterday as the Reds clinched all three points against West Ham at the City Ground.

Aina scored a stunning left-footed strike in the 78th minute, sending the ball beyond Lukasz Fabianski’s reach, and revealed it was a surprise to his teammates.

“Callum (Hudson-Odoi) didn’t know I had that in my locker. I like to surprise everyone. Sometimes it comes out. The ball just bounced up right and then I was knackered anyway so I just thought I might as well hit it, and yeah, I expected it to hit the top corner. Something like that,” the ex-Chelsea defender told Optus Sport after the game.

Nottingham Forest equalled a 25-year-old record in their victory against the Hammers yesterday, as they won three consecutive Premier League games for the first time since 1999, which has put them in third position on the league table. Reacting to Forest’s league position, Aina revealed the secret to their success.

“We are taking every game as it comes and we’re just working hard. That’s the formula, just work hard and take every game as it comes, and Chris Wood, he’s on top form and he’s just got the knack for it, in front of goal everything he touches is going in, so we just have to keep finding him and hopefully he can keep scoring,” the versatile full-back added.

Quizzed about Callum Hudson-Odoi’s curler in the second half, Aina revealed the team trust the Englishman to lead them in attack, citing his importance.

“He’s another one, when he gets into positions, the team trusts him to do what he does and we’ve seen on a number of occasions when he’s on that angle he can produce and that’s what he’s done today.”

Forest continue their brilliant Premier League campaign next Sunday when they welcome Newcastle United to the City Ground.

The Reds went into the game against the Hammers undefeated from their previous three games as they drawn Chelsea and secured three points against Crystal Palace and Leicester City.

With Chris Wood in the form of his life, Taiwo Awoniyi continued yet another Premier League game on the Forest bench and it was the New Zealand forward that opened the scoring in the 27th minute.

Callum Hudson-Odoi doubled the lead in the 67th minute before Ola Aina added Forest’s third eleven minutes later, leaving his coach and teammates wowed.

Speaking after the game, the Portuguese manager was pleased with his team’s win, and singled out Aina’s goal for recognition.

“We had good situations. I think Nico had a good situation from Lucas Fabianski, even the Soza one.

So we are delighted that almost every player starts to giving the belief that he can the team with goals. That was a very positive and a beautiful goal from Ola Aina,” Nuno Espirito Santo told Nottingham Forest official website after the win against West Ham United.

Ola Aina’s goal sealed Forest’s third Premier League win in a row, a feat they last achieved in 1999. The City Ground faithful are now third in the EPL, behind Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City and Arne Slot’s Liverpool.

Awoniyi joined Forest from Union Berlin in 2022, but his experience in the English Premier League has been rather bittersweet. The former Liverpool man undoubtedly gives his all whenever he’s on the pitch and has scored 16 goals and provided four assists in 53 English Premier League games for the Reds.

However, Taiwo’s biggest problem has been his availability. Since joining Forest at the start of the 2022/2023 season, the former Mainz 05 striker has missed 59 games for the two-time UEFA Champions League winners, virtually unavailable for 50% of Forest’s games in that time.

Since Nuno Espirito Santo replaced Steve Cooper as the tactician at City Ground, he’s preferred Kiwi striker, Chris Wood, and the Australian repaid the manager’s trust, scoring the third most goals in the English Premier League since the Portuguese manager joined.

McGugan, speaking on the Forest Focus Podcast, revealed Awoniyi sitting on the bench is a positive for his club and the striker as he’ll have enough time to heal from his groin problems while the club get to enjoy him when the time is right.

“I think when we look at it, we’re in such a good place with Chris Wood that it takes the pressure off of Taiwo Awoniyi. It takes the necessity off of us to potentially rush him back and run the risk of his body breaking down. I think that’s what we’ve had to do in the past, and it’s not done him any good, and it’s also not done the team any good to rush him back a little bit.

This with Wood allows him to continually build his body, continually allow him to get back to where he was before the injuries.

There will come a point where we need him [Awoniyi], Chris Wood is doing brilliantly right now, but there will come a point when we need Taiwo, and hopefully with his period now, when we do need him, he will be perfectly ready and he can come good again,” the former Watford midfielder said.

Awoniyi has played six League games this season, accruing just 93 minutes in total.

Super Eagles wing-back, Ola Aina played all ninety minutes while Taiwo Awoniyi came off the bench in the 81st minute for the Reds but it was a first-half strike from Ryan Yates and a second-half double from Chris Wood that sealed all three points for Nuno’s side.

After struggling for survival in their first two seasons back in the top flight, Forest look set for a place in the top half of the league this season with just one loss in nine games, but their coach Nuno remained typically pragmatic after the match.

“It doesn’t mean anything, what is important is Monday. We are going to prepare for West Ham. It’s going to be tough. It’s not what guides us. It’s how we do things, how we correct details – you can see the goal we conceded, we have to look and try to improve the team.

The fans should be excited. They should enjoy it. Today was a beautiful day for the club, to play this football and win the game. Now we go back to Nottingham celebrating.

They have given us so much since we arrived. Let’s not forget where we’ve come from, how hard it was. Now is the moment to enjoy it. We try to give back all the support they have given us,” the Portuguese coach said as per Independent UK.

While Ola Aina has been a regular for Nottingham Forest, Taiwo Awoniyi has lost his place in the starting lineup due to Chris Wood’s red-hot form in front of goal.

Ola Aina was brilliant for Augustine Eguavoen’s side down the right against Libya in Uyo, while Taiwo Awoniyi came off the bench with sixteen minutes left on the clock, replacing Victor Boniface, but the former Mainz 05 striker was unable to impact the game.

Nonetheless, the Super Eagles secured three points, thanks to an 87th minute strike from Fisayo Ayodele-Bashiru.

The three-time AFCON winners then travelled to Libya for the return leg, but their aircraft was redirected to another airport, 150 miles away from their intended destination. Upon arrival at the airport, they were left stranded, without food and internet for over fourteen hours.

Aina, Awoniyi, alongside their Nigerian compatriots have since returned safely to their club sides, and their coach confirmed they’re in good condition.

“They have arrived; they are working normal. As soon as it happened, the club reached them and tried to see what was going on. It was a mess but it was important to get them back as soon as possible. They arrived a couple of days ago; they are working normal,” the former Tottenham Hotspur coach said as revealed by the club’s official website.

Taiwo Awoniyi, Ola Aina, and the remainder of the Forest squad will have time to prepare properly for their next game as they take on Crystal Palace on Monday night.

The 27-year-old has been subjected to just 79 minutes of action in the Premier League this season due to subsequent injuries and Chris Wood’s prolific form in front of goal.

He played 90 minutes against Newcastle in the Carabao Cup but struggled to get going, skying his spot kick during the penalty shootout.

Nonetheless, he’s gotten a call up for Nigeria’s games against Libya during this month’s international break, and his club coach, hopes he finds the icebreaker needed to return to top form after the break.

“All the strikers need that moment, but Taiwo did well (against Fulham). It’s been a while since he started. He played 45 minutes and created a lot of situations. We’re counting on him. It was an option to put him alongside Wood. It’s something we have to work on and improve because it can give us good results, but that was the first time (of using it). I think he did well.

Now it’s about managing him. Now he goes to the national team. I hope he plays because what Taiwo needs is competition and to be competing. Hopefully when he return he is another option for us,” the former Tottenham Hotspur coach said in quotes revealed by Nottingham Post.

Despite Awoniyi’s injury record, the Portuguese coach revealed the solution is to properly manage the player, rather than waiting for him to reach apex fitness status.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a case of being patient with him, it’s about taking the right management. We have to assess him and we have to push him, which is what we are doing. He’s doing extra work on the training ground to make up for the time he lost in pre-season. We have to manage him, but he’s a very good player for us. It is a good option to have Taiwo 100 percent because he has proven before what he can do for the team,” Nuno added.

Nottingham Forest travel to Stamford Bridge this afternoon to take on Chelsea, who are currently firing on all fronts.