Former Liverpool striker Taiwo Awoni reflects on his Liverpool career, his decision to leave Anfield in 2021 and his old club’s clash with Nottingham Forest.
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, Naby Keita, Taiwo Awoni and Sadio Mane are in pre-season training in Austria.
Taiwo Awoni will miss his final game against his former club Liverpool when Nottingham Forest travel to Anfield on Sunday.
The Nigeria international has started the season in rich form, scoring in each of the Tricky Trees’ first three games of the season before registering back-to-back assists. This performance was just a continuation of the end of last season as Forest survived in the Premier League with six goals and six assists in the last six games of the season.
However, the 26-year-old has missed Forest’s last two games with a groin injury and could be out for another two weeks. As a result, Steve Cooper will miss out on attacking duties against Liverpool this weekend.
Awoniyi scored Forest’s winning goal against the Reds at City last October and made his Anfield debut in April as Jurgen Klopp’s side won 3-2. Liverpool couldn’t escape the Everton game despite the apparent controversyThe visit was a dream come true for the striker, who has not played for Liverpool for the past six years after being refused a work permit. But looking back on the defeat, Aboni admitted he had mixed feelings towards his former club.
“It’s been a long journey!” he said “Playing at Anfield last season was a dream come true,” he said. “Obviously I would have dreamed of playing for Liverpool there before I left, so playing against Liverpool was a mixed bag for me.”The Reds are set to sell Avonia to Union Berlin for £6.5m in July 2021 after completing loan deals in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium.
He spent just one full season in the Bundesliga before Orman made his Premier League dream come true. After scoring 20 goals in 43 games for the German national team, he will move to the promoted side for a transfer fee of £17 million (around 170 billion won).
Scoring 13 goals in 32 Premier League games, Awonyi has since proved a successful striker in England’s top flight. He never played for Liverpool but is grateful to his former club for the part they played in his career.”For me, every club and every stage I’ve been through has been about getting back to the Premier League one day,” he said. “I think it was worth it in the end, but I can say it was a tough journey.”As I always say, Liverpool is a family club.
You improve as a person and as a footballer and I am very grateful to Liverpool for looking after me while I was away. I am forever grateful for that. “It was a milestone, it was really good for me and a big reason why I became the player and the person I am.”Awonyi has not played competitively for Liverpool but has trained with the first team and attended a pre-season camp in Austria ahead of a permanent move in the summer of 2021.
