Coventry agree deal for Nottingham Forest star with medical ‘ongoing’

Coventry City have not returned to the Premier League just to enjoy the occasion.

After ending a 25-year absence from the top flight by winning the Championship, the Sky Blues have backed Frank Lampard with an extraordinary transfer window.

Frank Onyeka became the first arrival when his loan from Brentford turned permanent following promotion. Coventry then added pace through Loum Tchaouna from Burnley before signing centre-back Aurèle Amenda from Eintracht Frankfurt.

The spending continued into this month.

Goalkeeper Carl Rushworth returned from Brighton, and his reported £22.5 million fee briefly made him Coventry’s record signing, but that record didn’t last long.

Coventry agreed a package of around £23 million for Nordsjaelland midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi, adding yet another young player with room to improve.

Gustavo Hamer has also completed an emotional return from Sheffield United. The midfielder already knows the demands of English football, making his £6 million deal one of the safest moves of Coventry’s summer.

However, Lampard still needed more certainty in attack before opening the season away to champions Arsenal.

Haji Wright led Coventry’s promotion charge and Lampard has backed him to make the step-up. Ellis Simms provides another physical option, but surviving in the Premier League requires depth and different ways to threaten opponents.

Coventry have now found an experienced answer.

Coventry City agree deal to sign Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi

Fabrizio Romano now confirms the Sky Blues have reached an agreement with Nottingham Forest to sign Taiwo Awoniyi.

The move will be a permanent one, and the striker is already undergoing his medical.

Awoniyi arrives with a point to prove after a difficult period at Forest.

The Nigeria international suffered a serious abdominal injury after colliding with a goalpost against Leicester in May 2025. He required urgent surgery and was placed in an induced coma as part of his recovery.

Thankfully, Awoniyi returned to first-team football the following October.

He made 17 Premier League appearances last season and scored four goals, but regular starts remained difficult to secure as Forest changed managers and added further competition in attack.

His wider record shows why Coventry believe the gamble is worthwhile.

Awoniyi joined Forest from Union Berlin for a then club-record £17 million in 2022. He has since scored 21 Premier League goals, including crucial strikes during Forest’s successful fight against relegation in his first season.

At his best, the 29-year-old is direct, strong and difficult to contain close to goal.

He can occupy centre-backs, attack crosses and give Coventry a route forward when they are forced to play without the ball. His experience of relegation battles should also be valuable in a squad containing several Premier League newcomers.

Fitness will remain the obvious question.

Coventry are not signing the unstoppable version of Awoniyi seen during his finest Forest run. They are signing a striker attempting to rebuild momentum after two disrupted years.

If the medical produces no concerns, though, Lampard will have added proven top-flight firepower without placing the entire scoring burden on Wright.