Sporting Lagos exciting young right-back
Babatunde Akomolede is wanted by clubs from the Premier League.
One of the few privately owned football clubs in Nigeria, Sporting Lagos has garnered significant attention following the success of its academy at the 2024 Gothia Cup in Sweden.
This remarkable achievement in Gothenburg comes despite the club’s
senior team experiencing relegation from the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL in their debut season.
However, the club’s future looks promising, thanks to its thriving
academy, which boasts some of the finest young talents in Nigerian football.
In their first appearance at the Gothia Cup, Sporting Lagos’ U17 team
clinched the prestigious trophy by defeating Japan’s FC Tokyo 4-0 in the
final.
The team’s impressive performance saw them win every match, keep six
clean sheets, and score fifteen goals while conceding only four.
Notably, five standout players from the tournament are now attracting
interest from top European clubs.
Akomolede, who was named the tournament’s Most Valuable
Player, has drawn attention from Premier League clubs Everton and Aston
Villa.
Swedish clubs Hammarby IF and Tromso, along with Belgian side Anderlecht
and other Dutch teams Feyenoord and Ajax, are also reportedly in the
race for his signature.
Akomolede, a versatile full-back, contributed four assists and scored a
goal in the final.
“It’s normal that clubs in Europe want to sign him after such performance. We have received calls from these teams, and negotiations will start soon,” said a Sporting Lagos official in an exclusive interview with SportsBoom.com.
Other notable players attracting European interest include attacker
Yusuf Abdullahi, who scored in the final, and John Lucky.
“At least five of them have good offers on the table. Our goal is to see
them progress and play at the top level.”
“The club will issue a statement at the appropriate time regarding these
developments,” the official added.
The Sporting Lagos project aims to elevate players to top European
teams, emulating the success of rivals Beyond Limits, who have seen
talents like Ebenezer Akinsanmiro move to Inter Milan and Shina Ayodele
to French side Lille.
Sporting Lagos’ success at the Gothia Cup marks a significant
milestone for the club and highlights the potential of Nigerian football
talent on the global stage.
