What Taiwo Awoniyi will bring to Nottingham Forest

The race for European spots in the Bundesliga in 21-22 was an exciting affair. None more so because of two teams pushing the envelope more than most, SC Freiburg and Union Berlin.

Both sides have overachieved in recent years in relation to their sources. With shrewd and experienced managers like Christian Streich and Urs Fischer at the helm, both were able to secure Europa League qualification and for Union, it was Taiwo Awoniyi’s goals that helped them get over the line in a very literal sense.

Scoring 15 goals in the Bundesliga, Awoniyi managed his best ever career tally in a domestic league campaign and further added five more goals across other competitions to help Union finish fifth in the league. For a team that got promoted to the Bundesliga just two seasons ago, Union Berlin continue to overachieve and deliver results for their fans.

Nottingham Forest fans will be hoping Awoniyi can bring similar momentum when he arrives at the City Ground.

 

Consistency key for Awoniyi

Last season was the most productive one for Awoniyi, and not just beyond goals, his availability was key for Union as well.

After a long-term injury in 20/21 ruled him out for a significant portion of Union’s league campaign, he more than made up for his lost minutes this season with his contributions for the team.

One of his key assets is his movement in arriving in the box which makes him such an effective outlet for Union’s midfielders and defenders. When on the attack, Awoniyi is able to receive long balls to his chest and lay them off to team-mates running into space. He is also able to generate enough speed to get just ahead of his markers to connect with crosses on the counterattack.

Awoniyi’s movement and ability to take shots from dangerous locations has resulted in him generating the fifth highest xG per 90 at 0.58, only behind the likes of Erling Haaland, Robert Lewandowski, Patrick Schick and Andre Silva.

 

Taking attacking responsibility

Whilst creativity is not his cup of tea, Awoniyi’s style of play and his willingness to shoulder attacking responsibilities was transparent during his time at Union.

Surrounded by team-mates who could do more with the ball than he could, the Nigerian has stuck to his duty of trying to take the chances that fell his way.

With the likes of Sheraldo Becker and Max Kruse in the earlier parts of the season, Awoniyi partnered himself with technicians of the ball who knew how to recognise his movement best.

When fielded by himself up top, Awoniyi can look limited in his influence on the game. However, in a front-two, as Union normally line-up in attack, he thrives as the poacher.

Averaging 2.85 shots per match, he is often found by his team-mates during the match and though he is not clinical, his movement allows him to cause all sorts of problems for goalkeepers during the game.

In fact, his attacking output in 21-22 was almost identical to that of Tammy Abraham for AS Roma. Both attempted nearly the same amount of shots per90 in the league. Furthermore, both forwards also averaged similar underlying figures in terms of their non-penalty xG, 0.51 for Awoniyi and 0.52 for Abraham.

Both are no doubt hot properties for the present and future as number nines who provide more than just goals to the team and fit the mould and demands of modern-day football.