West Ham United are reportedly making a strong effort to sign Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi this January. According to Football-Talk, the 27-year-old Nigerian joined Liverpool in 2015 but never broke into their first team. Instead, he spent time on loan before moving to Union Berlin in Germany in 2021.
Awoniyi had a great 2021/22 season in the Bundesliga, scoring 15 goals. His performance convinced Nottingham Forest to sign him after they were promoted to the Premier League. However, this season, he has struggled to secure a spot in Forest’s starting lineup, starting only twice in the league. Chris Wood’s impressive form, with 14 goal contributions in 20 starts, has kept Awoniyi on the bench.
Journalist Plettenberg shared on X (formerly Twitter) that West Ham is seriously interested in Awoniyi to strengthen their attack after several injuries to their key players. Michail Antonio is out due to a car accident, Jarrod Bowen is sidelined with a broken foot, and Niclas Fullkrug recently suffered a hamstring injury. This leaves Danny Ings as their only fit striker.
West Ham is now in talks with Forest about signing Awoniyi, who is under contract until 2027. The club sees him as the right choice to address their lack of attacking options. After a recent FA Cup loss to Aston Villa, West Ham bounced back with a win over Fulham in the Premier League midweek. It remains to be seen if they can secure the Nigerian forward before the transfer window closes.
