Nottingham Forest striker, Taiwo Awoniyi, is expected to remain in England beyond the expiration of his current contract next summer as he works towards qualifying for a British passport, former Super Eagles midfielder Seyi Olofinjana has revealed.
According to Olofinjana, the Nigeria international arrived at Nottingham Forest from Union Berlin in June 2022 in a then club-record £17m transfer. Although injuries have interrupted parts of his time at the City Ground, he has continued to deliver crucial performances for the Premier League side.
Olofinjana, who discovered Awoniyi as a teenager and has mentored him throughout his career, said the forward has long planned to stay in England until he becomes eligible for British citizenship.
“The day he gets to play in England, I told him he’ll stay there until he gets a second passport, but Nigeria will always be your home,” Olofinjana said on the Playzone podcast.
“That’s why Taiwo Awoniyi is not going anywhere. He’s going to stay in England until he gets his passport.”
Based on UK immigration regulations, Awoniyi will become eligible to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) after completing five continuous years of living and working in England. Having joined Forest in July 2022, he is expected to qualify for ILR in July 2027.
After holding ILR for 12 months, he can then seek British citizenship, making him eligible for a British passport around July 2028, provided there are no changes to the immigration rules.
The projected timeline fits neatly with his long-term future at Forest and suggests that a transfer outside England is unlikely before then.
Olofinjana’s relationship with Awoniyi stretches back to 2010 when he identified the striker after he emerged as the Most Valuable Player at a Coca-Cola regional youth tournament in Nigeria.
He subsequently invited the youngster to the Imperial Soccer Academy in Sango-Ota, where he received professional coaching, improved nutrition and the foundation that paved the way for his professional career.
Five years later, Olofinjana was instrumental in helping Awoniyi complete a move to Liverpool despite interest from Monaco and Porto.
Even during the striker’s six-year spell of loan moves across Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands due to work permit restrictions, Olofinjana remained one of his trusted advisers.
Forest also have sporting reasons to retain the Nigerian forward. Awoniyi recovered remarkably from the life-threatening abdominal injury he suffered in May 2025, returning to competitive action just five months after undergoing emergency surgery and spending time in intensive care.
Last season, he embraced a substitute role behind Chris Wood, registering four Premier League goals and one assist in 17 league appearances. His highlights included a match-winning brace off the bench in Forest’s 3-1 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Since joining Forest, Awoniyi has scored 21 Premier League goals and contributed five assists in 90 appearances.
Among his memorable achievements are the goal that secured the club’s Premier League survival against Arsenal in 2023 and becoming Forest’s first player since Stan Collymore in 1995 to score in six successive Premier League matches.
The upcoming 2026 pre-season could be significant for the striker. New manager Oliver Glasner has made it clear Awoniyi remains part of his plans, including him in the club’s training camp in Spain and handing him the captain’s armband for the second half of Forest’s 3-0 pre-season win over Blackburn Rovers, where the Nigerian also found the net.
