Coventry City have signed the Nigeria striker Taiwo Awoniyi from Nottingham Forest, with the fee understood to be around £9m. He joins in time for Coventry's Premier League opener away to champions Arsenal on Friday, the club's first top-flight fixture in 25 years.
Awoniyi, 29, arrived at Forest from Union Berlin in 2022 for £17.2m, a club-record fee at the time, and scored 23 goals in 103 appearances across all competitions. He fell down the pecking order behind Chris Wood and Igor Jesus last season, starting only three league games and missing out on Forest's Europa League squad. In May 2025 he was placed in an induced coma after rupturing an intestine in a collision with a post during a match against Leicester City.
Forest gave Awoniyi a guard of honour before the second half of their final pre-season friendly, a 2-0 win over Brest, to let him say goodbye at the City Ground. "He always gives 100% for the team, he always gives 100% for the bench, and that's why he deserves such a farewell, such a guard of honour. That's why we decided we would give it to him and I wish him all the best at his next club, just not when they play us," said Forest manager Oliver Glasner. Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis added: "Taiwo will always have a special place in the history of Nottingham Forest. He has been one of the defining figures in our journey and given our supporters moments of great joy that will never be forgotten."
Awoniyi said he was "very excited about this season" and looking forward to working with his new Coventry teammates, who won promotion from the Championship last term. He becomes the latest arrival in a busy summer of transfer business for Coventry, following Aurele Amenda, Loum Tchaouna, Caleb Yirenkyi and the returns of Carl Rushworth and Gustavo Hamer. With Haji Wright injured, manager Frank Lampard's other striking options going into the Arsenal game are Brandon Thomas-Asante and Ellis Simms.