Days after completing his move from Nottingham Forest, Taiwo Awoniyi is already talking about the goalscorers who inspire him as he prepares for his Coventry bow against Arsenal.
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Super Eagles striker Taiwo Awoniyi has vowed to deliver goals for Coventry City as the newly promoted club prepares for its Premier League return against Arsenal on Friday.
Awoniyi completed his move to Coventry after four seasons at Nottingham Forest, where he scored 23 goals in 103 appearances and played a key role in keeping the club in the Premier League, including a run to the semi finals of the Carabao Cup.
“Goals And Hard Work”
Asked what he could bring to Coventry, Awoniyi said his focus was simply on goals and hard work, and pointed to the finishers who inspire him, naming the late Rashidi Yekini alongside Thierry Henry and Didier Drogba as players whose clips he studies.
Reuniting With Onyeka
Awoniyi’s move brings him back together with fellow Super Eagles international Frank Onyeka, who is already at Coventry, with both Nigerians expected to play important roles as the club aims to establish itself in the Premier League after a 25 year absence from English football’s top flight.
📌 Did You Know?
- Rashidi Yekini remains Nigeria’s all-time top scorer at a FIFA World Cup, having netted the country’s first ever World Cup goal at USA 1994.
- Awoniyi’s 23 goals for Nottingham Forest came across four seasons, a period that included a memorable late run of goals that helped the club avoid relegation in 2022/23.
- Frank Onyeka, Awoniyi’s new Coventry teammate, previously played in the Bundesliga before establishing himself in English football.
- Coventry’s return to the Premier League ends a 25-year absence from the English top flight.
- Awoniyi turned 29 earlier this month, meaning the Coventry move arrives at what many would consider the peak years of his career.
- Thierry Henry and Didier Drogba, the two other players Awoniyi cited as inspirations, both won multiple Premier League titles and are regarded among the competition’s greatest-ever forwards.
