Taiwo Awoniyi spent seven years at Liverpool without playing a single competitive minute for the first team. Most players would not survive that psychologically. He did — partly because the loan spells Liverpool arranged in Belgium, Germany, and eventually the Bundesliga were building his game in a way that staying at Anfield would not have. His Nottingham Forest move in 2022 finally gave him the consistent first-team football his talent had earned, and he repaid it immediately: 14 Premier League goals in his debut season.
He was born on 12 August 1997 in Ilorin, Kwara State, and developed his football abilities through a local football environment before entering the international football development system. Liverpool signed him in 2015 when he was 17, but work permit restrictions in England meant he could never play competitively for the club directly, resulting in a string of loan moves that eventually shaped him into the complete striker he became.
His permanent move to Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2022 for a reported fee of 17.5 million pounds brought him to a club newly promoted to the Premier League for the first time in over two decades. At Nottingham Forest, he has been a regular starter and one of the more consistent Nigerian performers in the Premier League during the mid-2020s.
Quick facts
Full name
Taiwo Awoniyi
Date of birth
12 August 1997
Birthplace
Ilorin, Kwara State
Nationality
Nigerian
Position
Striker
Major clubs
Liverpool (registered, 2015 to 2021, multiple loans), Union Berlin (loan, 2020-21), Nottingham Forest (2022 to present)
Transfer fee (Forest)
Reported 17.5 million pounds, 2022
Net worth estimate (2026)
~$5m to $10m (multiple financial sources; estimate, not verified)
Early life and football development
Taiwo Awoniyi was born on 12 August 1997 in Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State in north-central Nigeria. He developed his football abilities through local youth football in Ilorin before being identified as a talent with the potential for professional development. His path from Kwara State to Liverpool, one of the world’s most supported clubs, followed the route of strong performances in youth competitions that brought him to the attention of international scouts.
Liverpool signed him in August 2015 when he was 17 years old. The signing reflected the club’s confidence in his long-term development but immediately ran into the practical obstacle of English work permit regulations, which at the time required non-EU players to meet a minimum threshold of international appearances before they could play competitively in England. Awoniyi had not yet reached that threshold, and as a result he was loaned to clubs where he could develop while technically remaining Liverpool’s property.
He had loan spells at NEC Nijmegen in the Netherlands, Mouscron in Belgium, Gent in Belgium, Mainz in Germany, and Bundesliga club Union Berlin, where his performances in the 2020-21 season were strong enough to prompt Union Berlin to exercise their purchase option, a move that was not completed because Liverpool then sold him to Nottingham Forest instead. That final season at Union Berlin was the proof of concept that led to his permanent transfer and his arrival in the Premier League.
Nottingham Forest and Premier League career
Taiwo Awoniyi signed permanently for Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2022 for a reported fee of around 17.5 million pounds, making him one of the more expensive transfers in Nottingham Forest’s history. The club had just been promoted to the Premier League after a 23-year absence, and manager Steve Cooper needed reliable goalscorers to keep the club competitive at the highest level.
Awoniyi established himself as a first-choice striker at the City Ground, his physicality and technical quality making him effective in a Premier League environment that rewards strength and directness alongside technical ability. He has been one of Forest’s most important players through their initial Premier League seasons, contributing goals at important stages and demonstrating the adaptability that his years of loan development instilled.
His Premier League performances have been noted positively by Nigerian football observers as evidence that a player developed through the European loan pathway can arrive in England’s top flight without a development period and be immediately competitive. His consistency at Forest has strengthened his case for regular Super Eagles selection and made him one of the more visible Nigerian players in the Premier League’s current generation.
Personal life
Taiwo Awoniyi keeps his personal life out of public view. He has spoken generally in interviews about the support of his family in Ilorin during his years of development through the European loan system, describing the uncertainty of that period as requiring strong personal foundations. He has not confirmed any public relationship.
He is a practising Christian and has expressed his faith in social media posts and in interviews. His connection to Kwara State and his identity as a player who came through the Nigerian grass-roots football system rather than an elite academy is something he references when speaking about his career path and what it demonstrates about development pathways for young Nigerian footballers.
Net worth
Taiwo Awoniyi’s 2026 net worth is estimated at between $5 million and $10 million by multiple financial sources. The figure reflects his career earnings from Premier League wages at Nottingham Forest, his previous contracts at Bundesliga and Belgian clubs during his loan years, image rights arrangements, and endorsement deals primarily in the Nigerian market. His 17.5 million pound transfer fee would have generated a player signing bonus under standard Premier League contract structures that contributed to his overall financial position from the point of transfer.
FAQ
Why did Awoniyi never play for Liverpool despite being signed by them?
When Liverpool signed him in 2015, he had not yet met the minimum international appearance threshold required under English work permit regulations for non-EU players, meaning he was not eligible to play competitively in England. He spent six years on a series of loan spells in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany before being sold to Nottingham Forest in 2022, where he has played in the Premier League as his first competitive English football.
Where is Taiwo Awoniyi from?
He was born on 12 August 1997 in Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State in north-central Nigeria. He developed through local football in Ilorin before Liverpool signed him as a 17-year-old following strong performances in Nigerian youth competitions that brought him to international scouts’ attention.
How much did Nottingham Forest pay for Awoniyi?
Nottingham Forest paid a reported fee of around 17.5 million pounds for Awoniyi in the summer of 2022, following their promotion to the Premier League. The transfer made him one of the more expensive signings in Forest’s history and reflected the value his performances at Union Berlin in the Bundesliga had demonstrated.
What is Taiwo Awoniyi’s net worth?
Multiple financial sources estimate his net worth at between $5 million and $10 million as of 2026, reflecting Premier League wages at Nottingham Forest, previous European club contracts during his loan years, his player share from the Nottingham Forest transfer deal, and endorsement income primarily in Nigeria.
Does Awoniyi play for the Nigerian national team?
Yes, he is a Nigerian international and has represented the Super Eagles at senior level. His consistent Premier League performances at Nottingham Forest have strengthened his case for regular international selection, and he is part of the current generation of Nigerian forwards competing for places in the national team’s attack.
Sources
Information in this profile draws on reporting and data from Premier League official statistics, Nottingham Forest Football Club announcements, Bundesliga records, BBC Sport, The Guardian, The Punch Nigeria, and Forbes Africa coverage of Nigerian football.
Max Adeyemi is a Lagos-based writer covering Nigerian and African entertainment, sport, business, and culture. He has spent over a decade tracking the careers, controversies, and quiet achievements of the people who move the culture. He writes all profiles on Nolly.
