Liverpool announced the signing of 21 year old defender Oludare Olufunwa from Southampton on a free transfer following the expiration of his deal at the English Premier League side.
Olufunwa was born in England to a Nigerian father and an English mother making his eligible to represent both nations. But he is yet to be capped at any level by both countries meaning his options are wide open.
The reason isn’t far fetched at the age of 21 he is yet to have a considerable run of games at senior level under his belt. Even last season he was a regular for the Southampton U23 in the Premier League 2 for the first half of the season only. His appearances dried up in the second half of the season before it was announced that he will be leaving the team at the end of the season.
At Liverpool, Olufunwa is not seen as a signing for the first team, he arrives to play a useful role within the academy.
With Tom Clayton joining Swindon on a permanent transfer and loan deals sanctioned for both Rhys Williams (Blackpool) and Billy Koumetio (Austria Wien), there was a lack of centre-back options in the U21s squad.
Olufunwa will therefore bolster a group that also includes Jarell Quansah, 19, Lee Jones, 18, and Terence Miles, 17. At 21, it is unlikely that Olufunwa will be seen as a long-term option for the senior squad, and instead his signing may be viewed similar to those of Isaac Christie-Davies and Joe Hardy in recent years.
However, there remains a chance he could impress enough to earn a chance under Jurgen Klopp in the future, with Nat Phillips finding himself in a similar position upon his free transfer from Bolton back in 2016. If it happens he could be in for an international call up from either Nigeria or England.
A source close to the player however explained why he is more likely to pick Nigeria ahead of England, if he takes his career to the first team of Liverpool during the course of the season.
” Dare was keen on playing for the Nigeria U17 team few years ago. I think in 2015 or so but it was unfortunate that it didn’t happen. For now he has his mind on making the step up at Liverpool. That is all that matters at the moment and if it happens Nigeria will no doubt be his best option. His father will be proud if it happens for him”, he told OwnGoalNigeria.com.
