Nottingham Forest head coach Steve Cooper has heaped praise on striker Taiwo Awoniyi after Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace. The Reds finished the campaign with a share of the spoils and 16th place.
Forest striker Awoniyi ended the season with a real flourish. He scored six goals in as many games to see out the campaign; ending 2022/23 with an 11-goal return in the Garibaldi.
For the Nigerian talisman, the season has been an intriguing one. Plenty didn’t think he’d be up to the Premier League when he first arrived. However, he’s returned from a three-month lay-off with a point to prove.
Cooper is clearly delighted with his star striker. The club paid just £17 million for his services from Union Berlin and had he stayed fit he could have scored even more.
The head coach believes his team missed his presence for a few months. He’s offered some advice and some praise after the club finished their season with a very decent point at Selhurst Park.
He told Match of the Day: “You always want your number nine scoring goals. I’ve said before that we missed him a lot when he got injured and he missed three months. He was doing well just before that and so to get him back in the form he has shown has been excellent.”
Cooper has heaped praise on Awoniyi for recent Forest form
It’s fair to say that had the striker remained fit for the entire season, Forest’s safety would have been secured at a canter. The player has scored some vital goals for the club and he’s proved a very important player.
There is more to come from Awoniyi too. The Reds look to have got the 25-year-old for a pretty cheap fee and next season could prove to be a massive one.
Awoniyi is quietly going about his business and he’s proving people wrong. Next season could be the campaign when he cracks the 20-goal mark and he could save the Reds some money this summer.
