The Nigerian international has returned from injury just as Nottingham Forest’s season comes to a finish, which should see them stay in the Premier League.
Taiwo Awoniyi has just recently returned to fitness, and with Nottingham Forest not yet confirmed as a Premier League team for next season, he is already being asked about his future at the City Ground.
Awoniyi, the talisman who sparked last season’s sprint to safety, has been a bit-part player this season, with injury limiting him to only five minutes of action over the last two months. Thankfully, Forest survived another storm-tossed season and, barring an extremely unlikely combination of results on the final day of the season, will preserve their top flight status.
Following that, attention will go to Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad composition and the desire to reduce numbers, since Forest’s transfer trolley sprint has left them bloated. It’s unclear whether Awoniyi is even one of the names up for departure.
That did not stop him from being questioned about his situation in the aftermath of Saturday’s defeat to Chelsea, with video of the interview being shared online. The 26-year-old was questioned if he would remain a Forest player next season.
He replied: “That’s a tough one; for myself, I’m still under contract at Nottingham Forest, so I’m definitely here. For present, I am a Nottingham Forest player.”
The striker was more optimistic about the Reds’ prospects of averting an unexpected comeback from Luton Town in the last game of the season, saying, “I believe we will be there. We’ll be in the Premier League next season, but the most essential thing is to win our next game.”
For Awoniyi, it comes away to Burnley, where the Reds need a point to be certain, but even a defeat would necessitate a 12-goal swing in goal difference for the unfathomable to occur.
Awoniyi still has three years left on his contract, which he signed when he transferred to Forest from Union Berlin in June 2022. He’s played 52 games and scored 17 goals.
