_14_(cropped).jpg) Dennis playing forClub Brugge in 2019 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Emmanuel Bonaventure Dennis[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1997-11-15)15 November 1997 (age 28) | ||
| Place of birth | Yola, Nigeria | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2010–2016 | Kwara Football Academy Ilorin | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2017 | Zorya Luhansk | 22 | (6) |
| 2017–2021 | Club Brugge | 85 | (19) |
| 2021 | →1. FC Köln (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | Watford | 35 | (10) |
| 2022–2025 | Nottingham Forest | 19 | (2) |
| 2023–2024 | →İstanbul Başakşehir (loan) | 8 | (0) |
| 2024 | →Watford (loan) | 17 | (4) |
| 2025 | →Blackburn Rovers (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2019 | Nigeria U23 | 1 | (0) |
| 2019–2022 | Nigeria | 8 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 11:40, 30 April 2025 (UTC) | |||
Emmanuel Bonaventure Dennis (born 15 November 1997) is a Nigerian professionalfootballer who plays as aforward. He is currently afree agent following his departure fromPremier League clubNottingham Forest.[2]
Dennis began his career at Kwara Football Academy Ilorin, located inKwara State, Nigeria.[3]
In March 2016, Dennis signed withUkrainian Premier League clubZorya Luhansk.[4] He made his debut in a game againstOlimpik Donetsk on 24 July 2016, where he scored the opener in a 3–0 victory.[5]
Dennis started the season on the bench mostly before being given hisUEFA Europa League debut toFeyenoord on 3 November, which ended 1–1. After impressing against Feyenoord, he also played in the Ukrainian side's other group stage games, toFenerbahçe andManchester United. Zorya lost 2–0 in both matches and were eliminated from the group having finished in last place.
On 11 December, Dennis scored his second goal in a 2–0 win overStal Kamianske. His performances attracted bothManchester City as well as an unknownBundesliga side, who were interested in signing him in the winter transfer window.[6][7] However, Dennis instead ended up staying with Zorya for the rest of the season, helping them to a third place in the league with his six goals in 22 league appearances.
Club Brugge announced on 30 May 2017 that they had signed Dennis on a four-year deal for a fee of €1.2 million.[8] He was given the number 42 jersey shirt. Dennis started the season extremely well, scoring five goals in six matches, including one on his debut on 26 July 2017 toİstanbul Başakşehir, a 3–3 draw and a brace three days later in theleague overLokeren, which finished in a 4–0 victory.
On 1 October 2019, Dennis scored twice in a 2–2 draw at theSantiago Bernabéu Stadium againstReal Madrid in thegroup stage of the2019–20 UEFA Champions League season.[9][10][11]
Dennis claimed three league titles during his time at Club Brugge, in2017–18,[12]2019–20,[13] and in2020–21,[14] spending the second half of the season on loan at1. FC Köln, but having playing minutes in the first-half of the season to claim a league winners medal.[15]
On 25 January 2021,Bundesliga side1. FC Köln announced that they had signed Dennis on a loan deal until the end of the season.[16] He made a total of nine league appearances during his time in Germany.
On 21 June 2021,Watford confirmed they had reached an agreement with Club Brugge for the transfer of Dennis.[17] A five-year contract was signed two days later.[18] On 14 August, Dennis scored on hisWatford debut in their league opener againstAston Villa, where Watford won 3–2.[19] Dennis was nominated for thePremier League Player of the Month award for November 2021[20] after scoring and creating two assists in a 4–1 win againstManchester United[21] and scoring in a 4–2 defeat atLeicester City.[22]
On 13 August 2022, Dennis signed with Premier League sideNottingham Forest for an undisclosed transfer fee.[23] The transfer fee was reported to be £10 million.[24] However he failed to replicate the excellent form that he showed during his spell at Watford; struggling to establish himself in the newly-promoted Forest team. His last appearance for Forest was in May 2023 and he was eventually dropped from the squad altogether for the 2024-25 season, casting serious doubt on his future at the club.[25]
On 15 September 2023, Dennis signed with Turkish sideIstanbul Basaksehir on loan for the2023–24 season.[26] On 22 January 2024, Nottingham Forest terminated his loan deal with Istanbul Basaksehir to facilitate a move back to former club Watford on loan.[27]
On 3 February 2025, Dennis joined Championship sideBlackburn Rovers on a loan deal until the end of the season.[28]
On 31 August 2025 it was announced that Nottingham Forest and Dennis had mutually agreed to end his contract.[2]
Dennis represented Nigeria atunder-23 level[3] before being called up to thesenior team. He made his debut on 10 September 2019 in a 2–2 friendly draw toUkraine, coming on as a 82nd-minute substitute forSamuel Chukwueze.[29]
TheNigeria Football Federation attempted to call Dennis up to the squad for the2021 Africa Cup of Nations, accusing Watford of refusing to release Dennis. However, the NFF had failed to ask for his release in time.[30][31] Dennis was part of the Nigerian squad that lost on away goals with an aggregate score-line of 1–1 to theBlack Stars of Ghana in thethird round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying.[32][33]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Zorya Luhansk | 2016–17 | Ukrainian Premier League | 22 | 6 | 1 | 0 | — | 3[c] | 0 | 26 | 6 | |
| Club Brugge | 2017–18 | Belgian Pro League | 30 | 7 | 4 | 4 | — | 4[d] | 1 | 38 | 12 | |
| 2018–19 | 26 | 7 | 1 | 0 | — | 5[e] | 0 | 32 | 7 | |||
| 2019–20 | 20 | 5 | 2 | 0 | — | 11[f] | 4 | 33 | 9 | |||
| 2020–21 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4[g] | 1 | 13 | 1 | |||
| Total | 85 | 19 | 7 | 4 | — | 24 | 6 | 116 | 29 | |||
| 1. FC Köln (loan) | 2020–21 | Bundesliga | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 10 | 1 | ||
| Watford | 2021–22 | Premier League | 33 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 35 | 10 | |
| 2022–23 | Championship | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| Total | 35 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 37 | 10 | |||
| Nottingham Forest | 2022–23 | Premier League | 19 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 25 | 2 | |
| 2023–24 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2025–26 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 19 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 2 | ||
| İstanbul Başakşehir (loan) | 2023–24 | Süper Lig | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 0 | ||
| Watford (loan) | 2023–24 | Championship | 17 | 4 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 18 | 4 | ||
| Blackburn Rovers (loan) | 2024–25 | Championship | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 7 | 0 | ||
| Total | 201 | 41 | 12 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 27 | 6 | 247 | 52 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nigeria | 2019 | 2 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 5 | 1 | |
| Total | 8 | 1 | |
Scores and results list Nigeria's goal tally first.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 13 June 2022 | Stade Adrar,Agadir, Morocco |  São Tomé and Príncipe | 10–0 | 10–0 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
Club Brugge
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