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Archived News from September 2019

STAGS SIGN DAPO AFOLAYAN ON LOAN
2nd September 2019 19:53


Stags capture exciting frontman
mansfieldtown.net, 29 August 2019

We are delighted to announce the signing of forward Dapo Afolayan on a half-season loan from Premier League side West Ham United.

Afolayan, 21, joined the Hammers on transfer deadline day from National League side Solihull Moors in January 2018.

A quick, direct centre forward, he spent six years in Chelsea’s academy as a youngster, before moving to Canada with his family aged 15.

The striker then trained with Toronto FC academy, making appearances for the MLS club’s reserve team.

https://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/2019/august/stags-capture-exciting-frontman/

Upon his return to England, he enrolled onto a civil engineering course at Loughborough University, before signing permanently for Solihull Moors in January 2017.

Afolayan scored on his debut for the Moors in a 3-0 home win over Sutton United, netting 11 goals in 30 National League appearances that season. The striker scored a total of 16 goals in 38 matches during his time in the West Midlands.

He then moved to Premier League West Ham on a three-and-a-half-year contract for an undisclosed fee in 2018, appearing in Hammers’ colours for the first time in their Premier League 2 Division 1 encounter with Sunderland just five days after joining the club.

Last season, Afolayan gained experience at League Two level on a half-season loan at Oldham, going on to make ten league appearances for the Latics.

Manager John Dempster said: “We’re really pleased to get it [deal] over the line. Dapo will be joining on loan until January. He’s somebody who will bring something different to the team.

“We’ve done a lot research on him. He’s a good character, somebody who wants to play football and score goals.

“When the opportunity came up to take him on loan we were in competition with other clubs, so we’re really pleased to have him on board.

“He’s full of energy and will run in behind and stretch teams. He’ll bring a lot of value to our squad.”

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Mansfield Town bolster strikeforce with hot West Ham prospect Dapo Afolayan on loan
chad.co.uk, by JOHN LOMAS, Thursday 29 August 2019

Mansfield Town have fought off competition from other clubs to land exciting forward Dapo Afolayan on a half-season loan from Premier League side West Ham United.

The injury-hit Stags have had nine first teamers out recently and with the summer transfer deadline ahead on Monday have managed to get this deal over the line while hoping to also bring in a defender.

Afolayan, 21, joined the Hammers on transfer deadline day from National League side Solihull Moors in January 2018 and Dempster said: “I am really pleased to get it over the line. Dapo will be coming in on loan until January.

“He is someone who will bring something different to the team We’ve done a lot of research on him.

“He is a good character and is someone who wants to play football and score goals. He will certainly add to our squad.”

https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/mansfield-town-bolster-strikeforce-with-hot-west-ham-prospect-dapo-afolayan-on-loan-1-9963868

Dempster continued: “He had some success at Solihull and then got a move to West Ham. They paid money for him.

“But it hasn’t quite worked out for him at West Ham. As you can imagine, it’s a Premier League club and very difficult to progress into the first team there.

“So when the opportunity came up for loan until January we were in the race for him with some other clubs and really pleased to get him on board.

“He is full of energy, someone who will run in behind and stretch teams, and someone who will bring a lot of value to the squad.”

Dempster has no hesitation in pitching him into the squad at Exeter this weekend.

He said: “We had him watched on Friday and he performed very well.

“So he is match fit, though we know U23 games can be slightly different to League Two games - we’re not stupid.

“But he is a fit boy and a good professional, so he will be ready to go.”

A quick, direct centre forward, Afolayan spent six years in Chelsea’s academy as a youngster, before moving to Canada with his family aged 15.

The striker then trained with Toronto FC academy, making appearances for the MLS club’s reserve team.

Upon his return to England, he enrolled onto a civil engineering course at Loughborough University, before signing permanently for Solihull Moors in January 2017.

Afolayan scored on his debut for the Moors in a 3-0 home win over Sutton United, netting 11 goals in 30 National League appearances that season.

The striker scored a total of 16 goals in 38 matches during his time in the West Midlands.

He then moved to Premier League West Ham on a three-and-a-half-year contract for an undisclosed fee in 2018, appearing in Hammers’ colours for the first time in their Premier League 2 Division One encounter with Sunderland just five days after joining the club.

Last season, Afolayan gained experience at League Two level on a half-season loan at Oldham, going on to make 10 league appearances for the Latics.

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New signing left impressed after first training session
mansfieldtown.net, 29 August 2019

Loan signing Dapo Afolayan was left impressed by the ‘high quality’ on show from his new teammates in his first Mansfield training session on Thursday morning.

The forward signed from Premier League side West Ham on a half-season loan on Thursday afternoon and trained with the Stags for the first time that morning at The RH Academy.

As well as being impressed by the ‘intensity’ of the training session, he was also full of praise for Mansfield’s training ground setup.

“It [first training session] was brilliant,” he began. “There was a lot of high quality on show and all of the boys were working really hard.

“It [The RH Academy] is lovely. It’s a very good setup and I was very impressed when I drove in.

https://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/2019/august/new-signing-left-impressed-after-first-training-session/

“They [squad] are all good boys and they’ve got to know me quite well already. I’m really happy to be here.

“There was an intensity [in training] and we worked hard as a team. Even in the first possession drill we did, the intensity was high and the quality was good. It’s just about driving that quality every day.

“I’m match fit. I played three games last week and I’ve been playing week-in, week-out.”

The 21-year-old described himself as a ‘quick and direct’ striker, adding that he wants to help Mansfield Town ‘push on’ and achieve its ‘aspirations.’

“I’m a player who is quick and direct. I like to work hard for the team and I press everything.

“I run into channels and when I get the ball at my feet I can express myself and hopefully provide goals and assists for the team.

“I normally play better with a strike partner as I like someone to work off. But I’m happy to play up top by myself as well.

“I want to hit the ground running and try to get as many goals as I can. I want to help the club push on because I know it’s a massive club that has aspirations of being higher.

“It [loan move] is an opportunity to get my name out there again. I want to fulfil my potential and show everyone, especially the Mansfield Town supporters, what I’m all about.”

One player that Afolayan knows well within the Mansfield camp is attacking midfielder Omari Sterling-James, who he played with at National League side Solihull Moors in 2017.

“I’ve known Omari [Sterling-James] for a few years as we played together at my previous club [Solihull Moors].

“Knowing he was here, I knew it would be okay for me to come and I’d settle in quite well.

“I feel like it [Solihull Moors] was the best part of my career so far. To hit that form again I feel that I need to be an environment like this to reach my potential.

“Coming into men’s football and being a bit of an unknown identity helped me out. I feel that I’m a much better player now and it’s prepared me for the future.

“Being at West Ham we work hard on our technique and in every training session we drive ourselves to the highest standards.

“Tactically I’ve become a lot more aware as well, so anything that’s thrown at me I’ll be able to handle.

“West Ham is a great club and I’ve worked well in the academy over the last few months. I feel like I’m in a great position now to push on.”

The forward also reflected on a recent loan spell at League Two Oldham Athletic, something he gathered ‘good experience’ from.

“Last year at Oldham was a bit of a strange one because of the way it was at the club at the time.

“The experience I gathered playing in the games was good and it was good to be in and around League Two.

“It’s a tough league to play in, but I felt that I did quite well, aside from missing out on a few opportunities.”

iFollow Stags subscribers can watch our new signing’s interview in full by logging into mansfieldtown.net/ifollow later today.

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Mansfield Town loan striker Dapo Afolayan impressed with Stags’ set-up after West Ham United switch
chad.co.uk, by JOHN LOMAS, Thursday 29 August 2019

New Mansfield Town loan striker Dapo Afolayan enjoyed seeing one familiar face as he joined in his first training session with the Stags.

Afolayan, who signed from Premier League West Ham United on a half-season loan on Thursday, trained with the Stags earlier in the day at The RH Academy.

Among those training with him was midfielder Omari Sterling-James, who was with Afolayan at National League Solihull Moors in 2017.

The striker, who was signed by the Hammers from Solihull last year and has since been on loan at Oldham Athletic, said: “I’ve known Omari for a few years, we played together at my previous club.

https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/mansfield-town-loan-striker-dapo-afolayan-impressed-with-stags-set-up-after-west-ham-united-switch-1-9964591

“Knowing he was here, I knew it would be all right for me to come and I’d settle in quite well.

“I feel like it [Solihull] was the best time of my career so far. I want to get back to hitting that form again. I feel that I need to be in an environment like this where I can maximise my potential.

“Coming into men’s football and being a bit of an unknown identity helped me out (at Solihull). I’ve gone away and worked. I feel like I’m a much better player now and it’s prepared me for the future.”

Afolayan said he was match fit and ready to be plunged straight into action for the injury-hit Stags if selected.

“I played three games last week and I’ve been playing week-in, week-out,” he continued.

“I want to hit the ground running and get as many goals as I can and help the club push on.”

Talking of his time at Oldham in League Two, the striker added: “The experience I learned from playing in the games was good and it was good to be in and around League Two. Any game I played in I did quite well.

“It’s a tough league to play in, but I felt that I did quite well, aside from missing out on a few opportunities.”

Afolayan described himself as a quick and direct striker who worked hard for the team and “pressed everything”. “I will run into channels and when I get the ball at my feet I will express myself and hopefully provide goals and assist,” he said.

He added that he usually played better with a strike partner who he could work-off, but he was happy to play the role of a lone forward up top too.

The former England C man, who netted 16 goals in 38 games for Solihull, said the move to One Call Stadium was “an opportunity to get my name out there again” and he wanted to get as many goals as he could and lift the Stags upwards.

He said the move was an opportunity to show the Stags’ supporters “what I am all about.”

The training facilities at The RH Academy impressed the Premier League signing - as did his new teammates.

“There was a lot of high quality on show and all of the boys were working really hard,” he continued.

“It {The RH Academy} is lovely. This is a very good setup and I was very impressed when I drove in.

“They are all good boys and they’ve got to know me quite well. I’m happy to be here.

“Even from the first possession drill we did, the intensity was high and the quality was good. Everyone was on it. It’s just about driving that quality every day.”

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SLIGHTLY EARLIER STORIES:
Mansfield target ex-Oldham loanee
Aug 29, 2019
http://d3d4football.com/mansfield-target-ex-oldham-loanee/

Mansfield Town are looking at the possibility of signing West Ham United forward Oladapo Afolayan.

Afolayan spent the second half of last season on loan at Oldham Athletic. He is thought to have been the target of Paul Scholes, though he was brought in prior to Scoles signing a contract with the Lancashire club. He played 10 games during his time with The Latics but failed to find the net.

FROM TWITTER Alan Nixon @reluctantnicko, 9:51 AM - Aug 29, 2019
Mansfield. Looking to do a deal for Afolayan at West Ham. Young forward. Loan. Was at Oldham last season.

The young striker is energetic and can often be a handful for defenders. Though he was not so successful during his time at Oldham, he showed real ability in the league below for Solihull Moors. His time with The Moors saw him score 15 times in 44 league appearances. This impressive season saw him secure a move to The Hammers in 2018.

Afolayan has had an impressive pre-season for West Ham United’s u23’s where he is been involved in a number of goals. The u23 boss spoke highly of him after a 3-0 win over Reading u23:

“His work rate in all three league games has been exceptional. We’ve managed to build from that - he’s set the standard of how to press,” Halajko said of the striker.

“His work rate is tireless, he never lets the centre-halves have a minute, and now he’s starting to add in hold-up play, runs in behind, and being a goal threat for us. He’s been great not just tonight, but in all three games.”

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MANSFIELD CHASE AFOLAYAN SIGNING Mansfield chase Afolayan signing
Aug 29, 2019
https://foreverwestham.com/2019/08/blog-topics/mansfield-chase-afolayan-signing/V

Mansfield Town are looking to sign young West Ham striker Oladapo Afolayan on loan, according to journalist Alan Nixon.

The Sun reporter claims on his personal Twitter account that the 21-year-old centre forward is wanted by the League Two side to bolster their attacking options this season, having seen him spend time on loan at Oldham Athletic last season.

Afolayan has never appeared for the first-team at the London Stadium but has been a regular for the Irons’ under-23 side, while his loan spell at Oldham saw him fail to score in 10 appearances.

He joined West Ham from Solihull Moors back in January 2018.

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Latest | September 2019