By Wale Mustapha
Nottingham Forest manager, Nuno Espirito Santo, has offered his full support to Nigerian striker Taiwo Awoniyi, backing him to rediscover his scoring form soon.
Awoniyi, who has yet to score for Forest this season, has seen his role reduced to that of a second-choice striker, behind Chris Wood.
The Super Eagles forward has started only two Premier League matches this campaign, leading to questions over his future at the club.
Despite this, Santo remains confident in Awoniyi’s abilities and believes the 27-year-old will soon return to his best.
“It’s his fitness, his confidence, and he is looking for his goal,” Santo said. “Everything changes in the mindset of a striker when you score; suddenly everything comes. We are waiting for this click. We trust him.”
Awoniyi was an unused substitute during Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Norwich City, where Chris Wood scored the decisive goal.
Santo’s unwavering trust in Awoniyi signals that he expects the Nigerian to play a key role for Nottingham Forest as he regains his form.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
