Dapo Afolayan
![]() Afolayan playing Solihull Moors in 2017 | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Oladapo Joshua Afolayan[1] | ||
Date of birth | 11 September 1997 | ||
Place of birth | Harrow, England | ||
Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[2] | ||
Position(s) | Winger, centre-forward | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Bolton Wanderers | ||
Number | 30 | ||
Youth career | |||
2002–2006 | Harrow St Marys | ||
2006–2013 | Chelsea | ||
2013–2015 | Toronto FC | ||
2015–2016 | Barnet | ||
2016 | Tooting & Mitcham United | ||
College career | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2014 | Toronto Varsity Blues | 11 | (1) |
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2014–2015 | Toronto FC III | ||
2015 | ANB Futbol | ||
2016–2017 | Loughborough University | 11 | (3) |
2017–2018 | Solihull Moors | 45 | (15) |
2018– | West Ham United | 0 | (0) |
2019 | → Oldham Athletic (loan) | 10 | (0) |
2019–2020 | → Mansfield Town (loan) | 6 | (1) |
2021 | → Bolton Wanderers (loan) | 21 | (1) |
International career | |||
2017 | England C | 1 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:49, 8 May 2021 (UTC) |
Oladapo Joshua Afolayan (born 11 September 1997) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger or centre-forward for Bolton Wanderers.
He spent his youth at a multitude of clubs: Harrow St Marys, Chelsea, Toronto FC, Barnet, Tooting & Mitcham United and Toronto Varsity Blues. He left the Chelsea academy in order to concentrate on his GCSEs. He moved to Canada with his family but returned to England to study civil engineering at Loughborough University.[3] He signed with Solihull Moors in February 2017 and scored 15 goals in 50 appearances, winning a move to Premier League club West Ham United 12 months later; he was also capped by the England C team. He spent the second half of the 2018–19 season on loan at Oldham Athletic and the first half of the 2019–20 campaign on loan at Mansfield Town.
Club career
Early career
Afolayan joined Harrow St Marys at under-5 level and moved into the youth system at Chelsea at the age of nine, having turned down the chance of a rival offer from Arsenal.[4][5][6] He struggled with his short stature as a teenager and was restricted to playing as a winger.[5] He left Chelsea at the age of 14 so that academy football did not get in the way of his schooling.[7] At the age of 15, Afolayan moved to Canada and spent time in Toronto FC's reserve squad in League1 Ontario and the Premier Development League. He later said that despite being just 16 he "trained with the first team quite a bit and played with the likes of Jermain Defoe, Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco".[6] Late in the 2015 season, he played for ANB Futbol in League1 Ontario.[8] He also played for the University of Toronto Varsity Blues, while in Canada.[9][10]
Afolayan returned to England at the age of 18 to study a civil engineering degree at Loughborough University. He spent time playing youth football at Barnet and Tooting & Mitcham United.[11] He went on to play for the Loughborough University football team whilst studying, scoring three goals in 11 appearances for the club in the Midland League.[12]
Solihull Moors
On 7 February 2017, Afolayan signed for National League club Solihull Moors; he had previously been on trial at Rochdale.[13] Four days after joining the Moors, Afolayan scored on his debut, scoring the final goal in a 3–0 win over Sutton United at Damson Park.[14] He scored four goals in 15 games in the 2016–17 season and turned fully professional at the club in the summer, switching his engineering degree at Loughborough University for an online course.[7] He also spent time at Jamie Vardy's V9 Academy.[15] On 27 January 2018, Afolayan scored in his final game for the club, in a 3–1 win against Dagenham & Redbridge.[16] Despite leaving the club half way through the campaign, he was Solihull's top-scorer for the entire 2017–18 season with 11 goals in 35 matches; Solohull ended the season in 18th place under the stewardship of Mark Yates.
West Ham United
On 1 February 2018, Afolayan signed a three-and-a-half year contract with Premier League club West Ham United.[17] On 31 January 2019, he joined League Two side Oldham Athletic on loan until the end of the 2018–19 season.[18] He made his Football League debut for the "Latics" in a 3–1 loss away to Bury on 23 February; he came onto the pitch as a 76th-minute substitute for Zak Dearnley.[19] In total he made four starts and six substitute appearances during his time at Boundary Park and said he learned a lot form working under manager Paul Scholes.[20]
He returned to League Two on a half-season loan with Mansfield Town on 29 August 2019.[21] He scored his first Football League goal on 12 October, in a 6–1 win over former club Oldham Athletic at Field Mill; he also won a penalty in the game.[22] Manager John Dempster "what impressed me was the distance he covered. He was pressing all over the pitch. He ran himself into the ground".[23]
On 23 January 2021, Afolayan made his debut for West Ham, appearing as a substitute and scoring in a 4–0 FA Cup win against Doncaster Rovers.[24]
Bolton Wanderers
Afolayan moved on loan to Bolton Wanderers on 1 February 2021.[25][26] Bolton had the option to make the deal permanent at the end of his loan.[27]
His debut came on 9 February, when he came on as a substitute for Lloyd Isgrove in a 1–1 draw against Morecambe.[28] His first start came four days later in a 1–0 win against Stevenage.[29] He scored his only goal for Bolton on the final day of the season, scoring Bolton's second goal in a 4–1 win against Crawley Town, the win confirming Bolton's promotion to League One.[30]
On 27 May 2021 it was announced that Afolayan had signed a permanent three-year contract with Bolton[31] after Bolton activated the option clause.[32]
International career
Afolayan won a cap for Paul Fairclough's England C team on 8 November 2017, coming on as a 76th-minute substitute for Fejiri Okenabirhie in a 4–0 defeat to eventual International Challenge Trophy winners Slovakia U23.[33]
In April 2021, Afolayan was asked in the Bolton Wanderers Matchday programme if he would consider playing for Nigeria and he stated "Yeah I would. It's something I've thought about and hopefully I can keep playing well and get on their radar."[34]
Style of play
Afolayan can play as a winger[35] or centre-forward.[36] West Ham Academy director Terry Westley said that he is an "interesting player" who is "aggressive, has great pace and the knack of scoring goal".[37]
Career statistics
- As of match played 8 May 2021
Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Toronto FC III | 2014 | League1 Ontario | — | — | ||||||||
2015[38] | Premier Development League | 10 | 1 | — | — | — | 10 | 1 | ||||
ANB Futbol | 2015 | League1 Ontario | — | — | ||||||||
Loughborough University | 2016–17[12] | Midland League Premier Division | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 11 | 3 | |
Solihull Moors | 2016–17[39] | National League | 15 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 15 | 4 | |
2017–18[39] | National League | 30 | 11 | 3 | 0 | — | 2[a] | 0 | 35 | 11 | ||
Total | 45 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 50 | 15 | ||
West Ham United U21 | 2020–21[24] | – | — | — | — | 4[b] | 0 | 4 | 0 | |||
West Ham United | 2018–19[40] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
2019–20[41] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
2020–21[24] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 1 | ||
Total | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
Oldham Athletic (loan) | 2018–19[40] | League Two | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
Mansfield Town (loan) | 2019–20[41] | League Two | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[b] | 0 | 8 | 1 |
Bolton Wanderers (loan) | 2020–21[24] | League Two | 21 | 1 | — | — | — | 21 | 1 | |||
Career total | 103 | 21 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 115 | 22 |
- ^ Appearances in FA Trophy
- ^ a b Appearances in EFL Trophy
References
- ^ "Notification of shirt numbers: Mansfield Town" (PDF). English Football League. p. 41. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
- ^ "Oladapo Afolayan Stats, News, Bio". ESPN. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
- ^ "Oladapo Afolayan: I've worked my socks off and I'm just happy it's paid off". whufc.com. 23 January 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
- ^ "Oladapo Afolayan". West Ham United F.C. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
- ^ a b "Academy Spotlight: Oladapo Afolayan | West Ham United". www.whufc.com. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
- ^ a b "From Toronto to Solihull: the rise of Solihull Moors striker Dapo Afolayan". Solihull Observer. 27 April 2017. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
- ^ a b Evans, Chris (16 February 2018). "Dapo Afolayan: The forward who turned down Chelsea for non-league". The Set Pieces. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
- ^ "Two former ANB Futbol players sign professional contracts" (PDF). ANB Futbol. February 2018.
- ^ "Dapo Afolayan". Ontario University Athletics. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
- ^ "L1 2014 Post-Season Player Watch". League1 Ontario. 3 December 2014.
- ^ "Solihull Moors boss Liam McDonald delighted to secure former Chelsea kid Oladapo Afolayan". Solihull Observer. 10 February 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
- ^ a b "Total Motion Midland Football League". Football Association. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
- ^ "Moors bolster strikeforce". Solihull Moors F.C. 7 February 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2019.[dead link]
- ^ "Solihull Moors 3–0 Sutton United". BBC Sport. 11 February 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
- ^ "Oladapo Afolayan | West Ham United". www.whufc.com. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
- ^ "Dagenham & Redbridge 1–3 Solihull Moors". BBC Sport. 27 January 2018. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
- ^ "West Ham snap up forward Oladapo Afolayan". West Ham United F.C. 1 February 2018. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
- ^ "Afolayan joins Oldham Athletic on loan". West Ham United F.C. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
- ^ "Bury 3–1 Oldham Athletic". BBC Sport. 23 February 2019. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
- ^ "Afolayan: I can't wait for the first pre-season test | West Ham United". www.whufc.com. 12 July 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
- ^ "Oladapo Afolayan: Mansfield Town sign West Ham United forward on loan". BBC Sport. 29 August 2019. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
- ^ "Mansfield Town 6-1 Oldham Athletic: Dino Maamria 'bemused' at double sending off". BBC Sport. 12 October 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
- ^ Owen, Danny (14 October 2019). "'Huge asset': West Ham loanee Dapo Afolayan shines in Mansfield thrashing". HITC. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Games played by Dapo Afolayan in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
- ^ McDougall, John (1 February 2021). "Bolton sign West Ham forward Afolayan on loan for rest of season". Manchester Evening News.
- ^ "Bolton sign Afolayan, Jensen & Williams". BBC Sport – via www.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "DEADLINE DAY LIVE: All the latest Bolton Wanderers transfer news and gossip". The Bolton News.
- ^ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55406739 BBC Sport: Bolton Wanderers 1–1 Morecambe]
- ^ "Bolton Wanderers 1-0 Stevenage" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "Bolton promoted after win at Crawley" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ McDougall, John (27 May 2021). "Bolton sign forward Afolayan on permanent deal after West Ham release". Manchester Evening News.
- ^ Bolton Wanderers: DAPO AFOLAYAN | Forward after joining in permanent switch from West Ham United: "When I joined in January there was always an option to make it permanent."
- ^ "Slovakia 4-0 England C". www.thefa.com. 8 November 2017. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
- ^ "imgur.com". Imgur.
- ^ "Loan star Dapo Afolayan reveals his promotion plan for Bolton Wanderers". The Bolton News.
- ^ "Oladapo Afolayan | West Ham United". www.whufc.com.
- ^ "West Ham snap up forward Oladapo Afolayan | West Ham United". www.whufc.com. 1 February 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
- ^ "TFC Academy PDL 2015". Premier Development League. Archived from the original on 22 July 2015.
- ^ a b Dapo Afolayan at Soccerway
- ^ a b "Games played by Dapo Afolayan in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
- ^ a b "Games played by Dapo Afolayan in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- 1997 births
- Living people
- Footballers from Harrow, London
- English people of Nigerian descent
- English footballers
- England semi-pro international footballers
- Black British sportspeople
- Association football wingers
- Chelsea F.C. players
- Barnet F.C. players
- Tooting & Mitcham United F.C. players
- Toronto Varsity Blues soccer players
- Loughborough University F.C. players
- Solihull Moors F.C. players
- West Ham United F.C. players
- Oldham Athletic A.F.C. players
- Mansfield Town F.C. players
- National League (English football) players
- English Football League players
- Alumni of Loughborough University
- Toronto FC Academy players
- ANB Futbol players
- Bolton Wanderers F.C. players