Taiwo Awoniyi Future at Anfield in Doubt?
After helping Nigeria to win the U-17 World Cup in 2013 with a splendid performance, observers were of the opinion that the Super Eagles have a future in Taiwo Adeniyi. It indeed came as no surprise when English Premier League club Liverpool signed him tw
In spite of having spent the last four seasons away from Anfield and yet to make an appearance for the club, Awoniyi was last year handed an improved contract by the management of Liverpool.
“I feel excited and I feel very happy. When I was told about the contract I was so eager to get it done, to move onto the next stage, going out on loan or being a Liverpool player,” Awoniyi told Liverpool’s official website then.
“My ambition is to work hard wherever I find myself and hopefully be a better player.”
The Nigerian striker who has since enjoyed loan stints with FSV Frankfurt, NEC Nijmegen, Royal Excel Mouscron (twice) and KAA Gent was on Tuesday sent on loan for a sixth time by English Premier League club Liverpool since he joined them in 2015 and this time he will spend the season with German Bundesliga side Mainz.
A move to the Bundesliga should be a decent step up for him to continue his development. The fact that he has gone to a club that Klopp knows very well can only be an added benefit as well.
Several young players like Reece Oxford and Jadon Sancho, have headed to Germany to further their careers and Awoniyi will hope he can progress at a similar rate before coming back to Anfield at some point in the future.
The 21-year-old, who is yet to play a competitive game for Liverpool, spent last season at Belgian side Mouscron, scoring 14 goals in 38 appearances.
In April, he admitted his inability to get a UK work permit could derail his hopes of playing for Liverpool expressing his sadness at being unable to feature for Jurgen Klopp’s men.
“It saddens my heart that it’s been difficult to get a work permit
for the past four years,” he said.
“At the end of the season, we have to go back to Liverpool to discuss. Everyone knows the importance of the work permit and how it works, and that you’d need to play for your national team. If you don’t get a chance with your national team then it becomes difficult to get it.”
The youngster’s struggles to obtain a work permit come as a result of the difficulties non-EU players face, with footballing hopefuls first needing to demonstrate their worth on the international stage, something Awoniyi is yet to do with Nigeria.
Such issues haven’t dampened his hopes for the future though, insisting he chose to join Premier League outfit due to his love for the English game.
He added: “Personally, I chose Liverpool because I would love to play in the English Premier League for Liverpool. If God says it will happen then it will, but if not then I can only go on with my life and career.
“Going from Germany to Holland and to Belgium was a big career move for me as a player. My thanks to Liverpool for that. It helped me a lot to develop more as a player. At the moment, I don’t have a work permit. I’ll go on loan again and keep on working hard as much as I can.”
Liverpool experienced an unprecedented resurgence last season that saw them win the UEFA Champions League, and central to those feats were African duo Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.
“It was an amazing year for the club, with the likes of Mane, Salah and my favourite player, Firmino. He works so hard for the team, plays for the team and makes the job easier for the team. Mane and Salah have really done well for the club and shown the world what Africa has got. Many African players have this talent – it’s just the opportunity sometimes.”
The striker hopes his showing in another loan spell in the upcoming season paves a way to Gernot Rohr’s heart.
“That is a big part of the ambition for me. I have played for many years with the youth teams and I look forward to hopefully getting a chance with the senior team. This season will be the one they judge me on. Hopefully, I will do it.,” he continued.
His first loan stint was at German second-tier club FSV Frankfurt in the 2015/16 campaign then Dutch side NEC Nijmegen the following season in order to attract interest from national selectors and gain a work permit.
For non-EU players to be granted a work permit, they must demonstrate they are an international player of “the highest calibre .”
This means they must have played in 75 per cent of a FIFA top-50 ranked national team’s matches over the previous two years.
Awoniyi, who helped his country win the U-17 World Cup in 2013, is currently part of Nigeria’s U-23 side vying for a ticket to the 2020 Olympics football event in Tokyo.
After representing the country at all levels, the product of Imperial Academy - owned by former Nigerian midfielder Seyi Olofinjana - is still hoping for a chance at senior level.
He played at the 2015 U-20 World Cup in New Zealand, scoring twice and then helped Nigeria win the 2015 African U-23 Championship in Senegal.
However, he missed out on playing at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio in spite of being selected by Nigeria for their 35man provisional squad.
In 2010, Awoniyi was voted the Most Valuable Player at a Coca-Cola football competition in London. His performance at the competition was spotted by Olofinjana who made him join Imperial Soccer Academy.