TAIWO AWONIYI
Taiwo Awoniyi found his home at Union Berlin, after lots of loan spells, and he ended this Bundesliga season with 15 goals (20 in all comps) and an assist. The Nigerian is now taking the next step in his career by spearheading Nottingham Forest's return to the Premier League.
The Reds have broken their transfer record and paid his £17.5m release clause, and we're going to take a look at why - starting off with his attacking movement
the pest
Awoniyi has all the attributes you'd want in a 'modern' forward - he stands at 6ft, is physically imposing, quick, works hard but most of all is intelligent. This well rounded profile means he plays lots of roles in Union Berlin's versatile attack - and he's very good at all of them. His movement around the pitch is what enables Union to use different forms of attack. A good comparison is West Ham's Michail Antonio, an unselfish hard worker that allows the attack to progress.
Now Union are a team that are built on structure - they work hard, are defensively well set in a mid/low block and generally play on the counter. Union play a 352 formation generally and their form of attack places high emphasis on their attacking wing backs, and hitting Awoniyi. All of which is very similar to how Forest are already set up, meaning he should be able to transition into Forest fairly seamlessly.
Awoniyi supports this in a few ways in build up. Part of Awoniyi's role is to open up space for the team when attacking. And his intelligence and positioning comes through in reading what the team needs - whether that's to come short or be ready to go in behind:
He's moving into the BLUE area with his back to goal - either holding the ball up to get them up the pitch or go on a trademark dribble (more on this later)
Another way they may progress the ball, is going long into the channels. And time and again, they're asking Awoniyi to run in beyond and stretch the team to bring others into play or to create.
Now this is typical striker stuff, but it doesn't take away from the fact that Awoniyi is outstanding at doing this, and for a team that can come under the cosh its invaluable.
When Union have the ball in the final third he's incredibly difficult to stop. You're constantly seeing him playing on the shoulder of the back 4, putting enormous pressure on their line and he's phenomenal at inverted runs in front of the defender. Once he gets in, you back him to beat his man either for pace or physically and get his shot away. Or from crosses, he's there arriving ahead of his man for a cut back or timing his charge into the box.
The takeaway from seeing him play, is that he's an absolute nightmare for CBs to play against and they'll definitely know they've been in a game after coming up against him. And this shows up in the stats:
For Forest, Sam Surridge is used in a similar way currently (a bit more target man style), so they'll be asking Awoniyi to replicate this role in his own way. They may not have a huge amount of possession in the Premier League, his ability to do the hard yards up top, create space for others, attack space in behind on the counter and make use of the ball is going to be key.
dribbling
Generally as in the first example, you'll see him get the ball in and around the half way line. His job is to is either to drive towards the goal and progress the ball, or hold on to it long enough to bring others into play. What he does by doing this is commit defenders which opens up space for team mates. Further up the pitch he utilises his dribbling to work a yard of space to try and either feed through a pass or get a shot away.
For a team that sits in low block and plays on the counter, his dribbling is crucial. Its another way to progress the ball when the game might be going against the team. And his effectiveness at dribbling shows up in the stats as well:
Forest look to be losing 2 key assets who did this for them in the Championship (Spence and Keinan Davis) - adding Awoniyi most definitely helps plug the gap. So his movement is good, and he can dribble but on to the bread and butter for a striker his finishing.
finishing
Now the Nigerian is coming off the back of a 15 goal Bundesliga season so clearly the is talent there. But that is the first time he's hit double figures in a league season so its worth looking into. This season gone by he finished 6th top scorer, obviously behind some real big hitters. What's clear though is that he does stick away his chances and his quality comes through in the stats.
What this is telling us is that the raw materials are there for him to be a high quality goalscorer. The fact that he's well above average for each of these metrics speaks volumes. His movement and positioning allows him to get on the end of good chances and he does tend to stick these away. He's a poacher and a predator, so the majority of his goals come within the box but he's comfortable using both feet to score when through. There is still development to be had here, but if Forest can create good chances for him, they are likely to find the back of the net.
suitability to the league
Now it has to be said that Awoniyi is still a work in progress and there are areas for him to develop. His goalscoring can be a bit streaky - he'll have hot spells but can go off the boil. His form was far better whilst being partnered with Max Kruse in the first part of the season, which shows he needs a partner who is intelligent enough to get on the ball and make passes (Brennan could be a particularly good foil). Whilst his movement, workrate, strength and dribbling are major assets, he has to work on his control and first touch. He has to be able to make it stick under pressure, particularly when his team is up against it - he's been guilty of giving it away cheaply at times.
Overall, this is a smart buy from Forest. It solves one of the areas they desperately need some reinforcements and quality, and they are getting a well rounded powerhouse who has potential to get even better. Union Berlin play in a similar way to them and have a similar system, so Awoniyi should be able to fit in pretty seamlessly. His speed, strength and athleticism will surely stand him in good stead for the rigours of the league. A front 2 of Brennan Johnson and him will definitely cause issues for the opposition (and is likely to further highlight the brilliance of the Welsh wonderkid).