16 Aug 2016

Medical Passed: Liverpool close to sealing deal for 'wonderful' striker who 'dreams' of playing for Chelsea

In November 2015, Liverpool snapped up Nigerian striker Taiwo Awoniyi, and after spending last season on loan at Frankfurt, the highly-rated teenager is close to sealing another loan deal.

On Monday, The Telegraph reported:

"Liverpool youngster Taiwo Awoniyi is close to joining Dutch side NEC on a season-loan".

According to a club 'source':

"He [Awoniyi] underwent medicals with NEC this afternoon and could make his debut this weekend”.

Some info about 19-year old striker Awoniyi:

* Awoniyi is a Chelsea fan, and playing for the London club is one of his 'dreams'.

* Oct 2013: Helped Nigeria win the U17 World Cup.

* Oct 2013: Ghana legend Asamoah Gyan enthused: "I like him, that No 18, Awoniyi, he is a good player. He does all the work up there and creates a lot.”

* Nov 2013: Upon hearing Gyan's praise, Awoniyi responded: “Wow. He [Gyan] is such a great striker and he knows that it isn’t always about scoring. You have to work hard so that your team-mates can get the goals.”

* Apr 2015: Kogi United coach, Wasiu Lawal, told SL10: "He [Awoniyi] is a wonderful striker. I give him all the credit for Nigeria’s qualification to the All Africa Games".

* Mar 2016: Scored his first goal for FSV on the 18th March.

As noted many times, no foreign attacking player has ever made it through the Academy to become a first-team regular at Liverpool, so Awoniyi will face the same problems as countless others over the years.

On the plus side, Awoniyi appears to have the right attitude to succeed, but like so many others, he may end up being corrupted by the pernicious greed at the heart of the modern game.

Until then, Awoniyi is a man of simple tastes, and in comparison to the pampered, overpraised. metrosexual Nivea merchants who populate the Premier League, he is refreshingly down to earth. Indeed, after winning the U-17 World Cup, Awoniyi told FIFA.com:

“It [winning] changed the lives of most of us, many got clubs abroad and changed the lives of our families. I was able to build a house for myself, like most of the other players in the team.”

I'll take a player with this attitude over the likes of Raheem Sterling and his blinged-up cronies every day of the week.



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