DAPO’S DELIGHT
Dapo’s moving on up!
Oladapo Afolayan’s dream move to West Ham capped a frenetic January transfer window
OLADAPO AFOLAYAN has gone from the Midland League to the Premier League’s West Ham United inside 12 months – and his former Solihull Moors boss Liam McDonald thinks it shows how much Non-League talent is out there.
McDonald, now in charge at Rushall Olympic, spotted the 20year-old forward playing at Step 5 for Loughborough University.
Afolayan was studying for an Engineering degree having been released by Chelsea, where he played alongside Dominic Solanke, when he was younger.
McDonald felt the future England C international was worth taking to National League outfit Moors and his 16 goals in 38 appearances led to the Hammers handing him a three-year deal on January transfer deadline day.
“I brought quite a few players in from lower levels early on in my time at Solihull and you never know how it’s going to go,” McDonald told The NLP.
Impression
“He came on as a sub for his debut and with his first touch he scored. Jumping on from Step 5 to Step 1 is a massive step. Now he’s jumped up another four – he’s gone up nine levels in the last year!
“You’re always out looking for talented players and when I first became a manager, Loughborough had quite a few players of interest. George Williams was one – he’s now playing in the League at MK Dons. Those are the lads I was trying to tap into.
“Loughborough has always produced good footballers. They play in a University league as well so they get a lot of full-time football. Quite a few people said to me Dapo could be up my street.
“To go and get a player from a lower level and pin your hopes on him to help achieve National League survival is a big step. One of the directors at Solihull was keen, had seen him play and we felt he was worth the gamble. The gamble has paid off now.
“This time last year when we talked to him I said, ‘If you do well, by the next January transfer window there’s going to be a chance for you’.
“I’m really pleased for him. He’s played for England C this season as well – it’s all happened really quickly for him.”
In his short managerial career, McDonald has made a habit of having players who go onto big things including Cohen Bramall – who moved from Hednesford to Arsenal – and Tyreese Shade, who is now at Leicester City after joining from Moors.
And the Pics manager says Afolayan made a big impression from his very first training session.
Ability
“He was a funny one,” McDonald, 32, said. “When I watched Loughborough play he wasn’t one who jumped out. He’d scored a handful of goals, but you’d expect someone of his ability to probably be top of the scoring charts. “I just thought we should take the gamble. Cohen Bramall had just made his move from Hednesford to Arsenal and I just felt, ‘You know what, he’s got something’. “He borrowed his dad’s car to drive down from Loughborough to his first training session and his ability was quickly apparent. It was touch and go whether I started him straightaway.
“But he just went from strength to strength. We made the decision to play him as a No.9. I look back at some of the games, especially Forest Green away. We lost in the end, but I’ve never seen a performance like it. That’s when he probably started to think he had a chance.
“He’s worked hard, he’s a nice lad, he comes from a nice family and he deserves it. He’s intelligent and the fact he’s got a good head on his shoulders helps.
“There were times when I wasn’t happy with his performances, maybe everyone expected him to perform every game. He was 19 years old and it’s difficult to perform all the time.
“But he got up and running again and it’s a great move – a great move for Solihull Moors. It shows there’s some good NonLeague footballers out there.”