Taiwo Awoniyi Signals Future at Nottingham Forest Amid Contract Countdown

Taiwo Awoniyi will enter the final 12 months of his Nottingham Forest contract in June, and the Nigerian striker is grateful to be fulfilling his Premier League dream at the club.

Awoniyi moved to the City Ground on a record fee from Union Berlin in June 2022 and has established himself at the club with over 100 appearances for the club across all competitions, as well as 23 goals to his name.

Despite the centurion milestone, the 28-year-old has had to battle recurring injuries at Nottingham, which hampered his form in crucial stages of the season.

With speculations growing around his future, the Super Eagles striker described his time in England since 2022 as a dream come true, and he is looking to repay Forest for the faith shown in him. 

"Four years in the Premier League has been a dream for the club and me," Awoniyi told SportsBoom.co.za in an exclusive interaction. 

"The club has shown faith in me when I was down, so we will see what happens next." 

"My family and I are settled here in Nottingham, a great city. Next season, we will be better." 

Nottingham Turned Negativity Around

Awoniyi turned up for Forest at a crucial point during the course of the 2025-26 season when they locked in a fight against relegation.

He scored a brace that propelled Vítor Pereira's side to a vital 3-1 victory over Chelsea on May 4 that helped them stay clear of the drop zone. 

Awoniyi pointed out Forest's incredible run in the UEFA Europa League, where they reached the semi-final as a major highlight of his season, as they settled for the 16th position in the Premier League table.

"At the end, it was an amazing season for us," the Nigerian added. 

"Looking at how far we went in the Europa League and looking at how we went about the season." 

"Many people thought we might be relegated, but we turned the negativity around. It was a good season for the club, the players and everyone."

Awoniyi Confirms His Super Eagles Decision

Nigeria are currently participating in a four-nation tournament, the Unity Cup in London, against Zimbabwe, Jamaica and India.

After the tournament, the three-time African champions are lined up to face Poland and Portugal in separate friendly games in June.

Awoniyi was a notable exclusion from the two squads announced by Nigeria coach Eric Chelle despite his return to top form at Forest.

He confirmed his conversation with Chelle before the squad announcement and his decision to decline an invitation due to personal reasons that he did not reveal.

"I was supposed to be in the Super Eagles camp, but I opted out because of personal reasons I have to attend to," Awoniyi said.

"We have lots of talents in the Super Eagles, so for me, everyone that is in the team for the June friendlies is as good as me, just as I'm as good as them," he concluded.