Mustapha Olagunju

Mustapha Oluwatosin Olagunju (born 1 January 2002) is an English professional footballer who plays for as a centre-back for League Two club Port Vale, on loan from Championship side Huddersfield Town. He has also played on loan for Tadcaster Albion and Welling United.

Mustapha Olagunju
Personal information
Full name Mustapha Oluwatosin Olagunju[1]
Date of birth (2002-01-01) 1 January 2002[2]
Place of birth Plumstead, London[3]
Height 1.89 m (6 ft 2 1⁄2 in)[3]
Position(s) Centre-back
Club information
Current team
 Port Vale
(on loan from Huddersfield Town)
Youth career
XYZ Academy
Kent Football United
2018–2020 Huddersfield Town
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020– Huddersfield Town 0 (0)
2020 → Tadcaster Albion (loan) 2 (0)
2020 → Welling United (loan) 7 (0)
2021– → Port Vale (loan) 0 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18:30, 1 February 2021 (UTC)

Career

Born in Plumstead, London, Olagunju started his football career at the XYZ Academy, before moving to Kent Football United and then Huddersfield Town after impressing the "Terriers" in a trial game against Barnsley.[4] He joined Huddersfield as an attacking midfielder but was converted to playing at centre-back under the stewardship of Leigh Bromby and Emyr Humphreys.[5] He was promoted into Dean Whitehead's U19 team after starting 31 games for the U17 side.[6] He turned professional at the club in August 2019, signing a two-year contract.[6] Manager Danny Cowley invited him to train with the first-team at a camp in Dubai in November 2019.[4]

On 10 January 2020, he moved to Tadcaster Albion of the Northern Premier League Division One West on a one-month loan to gain first team experience.[7] He started two games for the "Brewers".[8] He joined Welling United on loan on 30 October 2020, along with Jaheim Headley.[9] He made his National League South debut the next day in a 2–1 defeat at Eastbourne Borough.[10] He played a total of seven games for the "Wings".[2]

Olagunju made his senior debut for Huddersfield Town on 9 January 2021, when he started in their 3–2 FA Cup Third Round defeat to Plymouth Argyle at Kirklees Stadium after manager Carlos Corberán rested all 11 players who started the previous Championship fixture.[11] He was booked in the fifth minute and substituted after 77 minutes.[12] On 1 February 2021, he joined League Two side Port Vale on loan until the end of the 2020–21 season.[13][14]

Style of play

Olagunju is an aggressive centre-back who plays on the front-foot and is comfortable in possession.[6]

Personal life

Born in England, Olagunju is of Nigerian descent.[3][15]

Statistics
As of match played 16 January 2021
Club Season League FA Cup EFL Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Tadcaster Albion (loan) 2020–21[8]Northern Premier League
Division One North West		2000000020
Huddersfield Town 2020–21[16]EFL Championship0010000010
Welling United (loan) 2020–21[2]National League South7000000070
Port Vale (loan) 2020–21[16]EFL League Two0000000000
Career total 90100000100

    References
    1. "Club list of registered players: As at 23rd June 2020: Huddersfield Town" (PDF). 23 June 2020. p. 12. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
    2. Mustapha Olagunju at Soccerway
    3. "Mustapha Olagunju - Defender - U19 Team - Huddersfield Town". www.htafc.com. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
    4. Threlfall-Sykes, David (19 March 2020). "#Youngterriers In Focus: Mustapha Olagunju". Huddersfield Town. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
    5. Chicken, Steven (1 February 2021). "Huddersfield Town defender Mustapha Olagunju secures League Two loan". YorkshireLive. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
    6. Threlfall-Sykes, David (8 August 2019). "First Pro Contract For Mustapha Olagunju". www.htafc.com. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
    7. Threlfall-Sykes, David (10 January 2020). "Loan: Young Terrier Olagunju Joins Tadcaster". Huddersfield Town. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
    8. "Over 200 Non-league Starts For Academy Players In 2019/20 - News". Gamblers Commentary. 9 May 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
    9. Threlfall-Sykes, David (30 October 2020). "Loans: Pair Of Young Terriers Join Welling Utd". Huddersfield Town. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
    10. "Eastbourne Borough 2-1 Welling United". Welling United FC. 31 October 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
    11. "Huddersfield Town 2-3 Plymouth Argyle". BBC Sport. 9 January 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
    12. Kingsley, Igho (12 January 2021). "2002-Born Center Back Of Nigerian Descent Delighted To Make Pro Debut For Huddersfield Town:: All Nigeria Soccer - The Complete Nigerian Football Portal". www.allnigeriasoccer.com. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
    13. Tomlinson, Adam (1 February 2021). "Mustapha Olagunju Joins Port Vale On Loan". Huddersfield Town. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
    14. "Port Vale complete Mustapha Olagunju loan signing". Port Vale. 1 February 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
    15. "Confirmed : Two Nigerian Teenagers Released By Huddersfield Town :: All Nigeria Soccer - The Complete Nigerian Football Portal". www.allnigeriasoccer.com. 25 June 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
    16. "Games played by Mustapha Olagunju in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
    This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.