Now worth more than Murillo: Nottingham Forest struck gold on 2022 Syrianos signing

Nottingham Forest aren’t shy of making a signing or two, with the club bringing in 34 players since promotion back to the Premier League in May 2022.

The club were recently charged with breaching the Premier League’s FFP and PSR rules after spending over £220m on players within the last 21 months. Expensive signings such as Emmanuel Dennis and Jonjo Shelvey failed to live up to expectations and are just two examples of the poor business conducted by the Reds’ hierarchy in recent times.

Despite this, the club have made some brilliant additions, with the likes of Morgan Gibbs-White and Anthony Elanga both proving to be worth every penny of their respective £42.5m and £15m moves to the City Ground.

Another player who has been a hit on Trentside is striker Taiwo Awoniyi. The 26-year-old was the club’s first signing back in the top flight, joining the Reds back in June 2022 from German side Union Berlin.

The fee Nottingham Forest paid for Taiwo Awoniyi

After joining the Reds for a then-club-record fee of £17.5m, Awoniyi became the first of a flurry of players to join Forest from the Bundesliga.

George Syrianos, the Forest recruitment chief at the time, identified players from the top tier of German football after his time as head analyst at VfB Stuttgart. Faces such as Moussa Niakhate, Omar Richards and Orel Mangala all joined the club, with the latter bringing in a hefty profit after his move to Lyon just two weeks ago.

After his arrival, Awoniyi made an instant impact at the City Ground, scoring the only goal in the 1-0 win against West Ham United during the Reds’ first home Premier League outing in 23 years.

Despite multiple injury issues, the Nigeria international has established himself as a key player under now-boss Nuno Espírito Santo – scoring 15 times in 39 Premier League appearances.

One of his goals last season came in the crucial 1-0 win against his former side Liverpool – prompting praise from Reds boss Jürgen Klopp, who branded the 26-year-old as “sensational”.

Taiwo Awoniyi’s market value in 2024

No one could’ve predicted how crucial the Nigerian striker would be for the Reds after his arrival from the Bundesliga. The 26-year-old has five goals in his 13 Premier League appearances so far this season, with the former Liverpool striker facing a huge task in helping keep the Reds in the division this season.

Although his all-round stats might not be much to shout about, there are certain key areas that the Forest striker excels in – proving his importance to the side when he features.

Awoniyi averages 0.64 non-penalty goals per 90 this season, a stat that sees him rank within the top 11% of strikers in Europe’s top five leagues this season.

The Nigerian also averages 1.9 aerial duels won per game – a stat that is crucial with Forest often finding themselves under pressure and playing a high-intensity counter-attacking style.

As per Transfermarkt, Awoniyi is now valued at £24m, £5m more than youngster Murillo, who has excelled since his move from Corinthians during the summer transfer window.

If he can stay fit and regain full fitness within the coming weeks, a fully fit Awoniyi could prove to be a huge asset in Forest’s bid to retain the Premier League status come the end of the 2023/24 campaign.