Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi has committed his immediate future to the club, expressing a desire to remain at the City Ground following a late-season resurgence under manager Vítor Pereira.
The 28-year-old Nigerian international finished the 2025/26 Premier League campaign with a string of critical goals, including strikes against Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, to secure Forest’s top-flight safety and cap a historic season that included a deep run in the UEFA Europa League.
Despite being omitted from the club’s European squad register by previous management earlier in the season under Sean Dyche, Awoniyi found regular playing time harder to come by before Pereira’s arrival.
“The club has shown faith in me when I was down, so we will see what happens next,” Awoniyi said in an interview with SportsBoom. “My family and I are settled here in Nottingham, a great city. Next season, we will be better.”
Addressing pre-season expectations that heavily favoured Forest for relegation, Awoniyi praised the squad’s resilience.
“At the end, it was an amazing season for us,” he said. “Many said we’d be relegated but we turned the negativity around. It was a good season for the club, the players and everyone.”
Awoniyi also clarified his absence from the Nigeria national team. The Super Eagles on Saturday won the international four-team Unity Cup tournament in London alongside Zimbabwe, Jamaica and India. Despite receiving a call-up, the forward confirmed he voluntarily withdrew from the squad.
“I was supposed to be in the Super Eagles camp, but I opted out because of personal reasons I have to attend to,” Awoniyi stated, dismissing any friction with the national team setup. “We have lots of talent in the Super Eagles, so for me, everyone that is in the team for the friendlies is as good as me.”
Awoniyi is expected to report back to Nottingham Forest for pre-season training in July ahead of the 2026/27 Premier League campaign.